Another Imagining
by Mickey Is The Man
Summary: Fairy Tail reimagined from when Lucy walked into the guild hall, in a world where Lisanna was never believed to have died. We'll walk different paths to the same destinations, as all the arcs are chronicled again - this time, with a broader focus on our grand cast. Follow Lucy's adventures with Natsu, Lisanna, Happy, Cana, Gray, Erza, Mira, Elfman, Loke, and more.
1. Macao Arc - Part 1

_Mickey here, at it again. This is my latest attempt at a serious project - what Fairy Tail would've been like if Lisanna had never "died". I'm going to rewrite Fairy Tail, starting from Lucy's arrival to the guild. I want to explore what could've been if things had gone differently that night, the different relationships than would bloom, and new doors opening for other guild members to step into the spotlight. Thanks to the power of fanfiction, I'm able to attempt that story as I imagine it._

_I know it's probably not the most original idea out there, and inevitably, since I'm going to go down every major arc featured in the manga (I'm afraid I won't be doing the anime-exclusives, if I'd even get to them), there will be some major similarities to canon. However, I'll do my best to inject my own creativity into the story we know, to give you my take of my Fairy Tail world._

_I felt inspired to write this because I love Fairy Tail, and I love Lisanna. She's my favorite character in the series, and I'm disappointed in her use and reaction when she had such a lovey backstory with Natsu. Since consider her gold, I want to let her shine as such. However, __even though the primary pairing in this fic is Natsu/Lisanna, don't worry, she's not the main character here. Our lead is still Lucy (who is right behind Lisanna for my favorite in Fairy Tail), because I love how the story is told through her eyes. She'll be the focal point, and the only character that we'll see in every arc retelling._

_That means that our cast will be rotating. Team Natsu as you know it won't exist here, so you'll be seeing other partnerships form to take on the challenges laid out. This series has such a diverse collection of characters, and I intend to go deeper and get more out of them than we've seen in real life._

_With all that said, I want to mention that I have no idea how long I can keep this up. I've had mixed results with long-term projects; some went on for quite a bit, but others flared out pretty quickly. I do have a lot of confidence in this story, to keep it going for multiple arcs, so I hope you guys enjoy this ride with me while we've got something in the tank._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail._

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**Chapter 1  
- Right Where We Left Off -**

"We made it back alive!" Natsu roared as he kicked open the doors of the guild.

"Aye!" Happy chimed in, hovering at his shoulders.

Lucy cautiously followed him in, her hopes of a positive first impression with her guildmates-to-be in worse shape than the door hinges. The feeling didn't last, though, as she noticed that everyone in the building offered her companions a warm greeting instead of dirty looks or berating. Her excitement began to swell up again as she took in the magnificent building.

She was finally at Fairy Tail!

"I'm glad you're still in one piece, Natsu" a calmly confident voice responded, and a young man wearing nothing but boxers, a silver cross necklace, and a dangerous smirk stood up from a table on the right side of the room. "That gives me more to work with to reassemble your face!"

"Oh yeah? Well bring it on!" Natsu grinned, putting up his fists as the other boy charged at him.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock as she watched the two begin to exchange blows.

"Don't worry, they're always doing stuff like this," Happy waved them off casually, as if the warring wizards were just saying hello. "That's Gray. He's an Ice-Make Wizard, so naturally, he's Natsu's rival."

"And perpetually half-naked, as I'm sure you've noticed," a beautiful young woman with chocolate-brown hair at the bar said, her arm protectively around a giant barrel of alcohol. "Gray, your clothes!"

"Not right now, Cana!" came Gray's reply. The momentary distraction cost him, as the fire mage delivered a punch strong enough to knock him onto another table occupied by their fellow guildmates.

"I haven't seen you around before," she said to the blonde girl that had trailed Natsu and Happy. Her tone was inviting, and she motioned her over with a little shake of her head. "I'm Cana. Are you new to Fairy Tail?"

"I'm Lucy," she introduced herself with a smile. "I'm not a member yet, but I'd love to be. I met Natsu down in Hargeon, and when I told him that I wanted to join Fairy Tail, he said he could get me into the guild. Um, does stuff like this happen here often?"

She had heard that Fairy Tail was a rowdy bunch, but she never thought that setting foot into the guild hall would be enough to trigger a fist fight. Stranger still, none of the other guild members attempted to break Natsu and Gray up; in fact, the ones that were even paying attention looked amused more than anything else. It wasn't the first time, and she doubted it would be the last, that she asked herself what she had gotten herself into.

Cana smiled. "It's usually worse," she said, lifting the barrel over her head to chug its contents, a display just as weird as the rumble behind them. After she lowered it, the alcohol swishing around inside the vast emptiness she just created, she grinned even wider. "And, right on cue."

A large, imposing figure in a dark blue uniform marched up to the melee in the middle of the hall, a deep scowl on his face. A voice of reason, perhaps?

"A real man will take two punches just to get in one! Fight like you mean it!" he exclaimed, throwing his balled fists up in the air.

"Why is he encouraging them?!" Lucy asked, bewildered yet again.

"That's Elfman for you," Happy said. Natsu and Gray apparently weren't too fond of his sideline commentary, so for a brief instant, they formed a dynamic duo to knock him across the building. "Well, that _was_ Elfman."

As soon as he was out of the way, their brawl escalated like a black hole, sucking other wizards into the fray. They gleefully turned on the people they had been sitting next to, or called someone out from across the room. As the punches began to fly, so did objects that should've been lying peacefully on the tables. Lucy dipped and dodged the projectiles, while Cana and Happy seemed to have a force field around them that prevented any mugs, glasses or plates from zipping past anywhere near them.

The blonde girl managed to just evade a twirling glass aimed straight for her head - and heard a thud as it connected with someone else's.

Lucy's gasp was drowned out by the cries of the two women sitting on the sides of a handsome but annoyed-looking wizard. A dark bruise began to form where the glass had struck him on the forehead, his shades hanging askew from the force of the blow.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to step in now - to defend your honor, of course," he claimed in a suave voice, rearranging his glasses. He winked at the pair as he took off his jacket, handing it out to them as he stood and smoothed out his designer clothes.

"Thank you, Loke! Good luck!" the girls cooed as he jumped into the nearest scuffle, hugging his jacket in admiration.

As chairs were flung around and bodies crashed through tables, Lucy noticed that only one section of the room had gone untouched by the chaos surrounding it. Two white-haired girls only smiled at the scene before them, the older one with an edgy smirk, the younger one wearing a placid expression.

"It's Mirajane!" Lucy practically swooned, immediately recognizing Fairy Tail's most popular mage. "I can't believe I'm in the same room as this year's Sorcerer Weekly's Sexiest Wizard!"

Cana chuckled. "Yeah, maybe out of all the dopey girls who agree to pose for those idiots," she said proudly, pausing for a second to take a sip from a wine glass she'd procured while Lucy wasn't looking. "Some of us have self-respect, you know."

"I thought those magazine guys said an issue with you would never sell because you're always wearing bikini tops anyway," Happy said.

The flying cat was swatted away so fast, Lucy thought he might've teleported into the crater on the far wall when her eyes caught up to him again.

"That girl next to her, she must be her sister," she continued, turning back to the white-haired pair. "I've read about her in Mira's interviews, but she's never appeared in the magazine herself. She's really pretty, too. Hey, they're supposed to have a brother, too, right?"

"Yeah," Cana replied, looking over at Elfman, the burly man lying upside-down against the wall. "The same guy that you saw get knocked out by Gray and Natsu."

"Oh." And so ended Lucy's fantasy of joining the famous Strauss family.

She watched the sisters exchange words, followed by a sigh from the younger girl. She stood up from the table, and weaved gracefully through the skirmishes to where the aforementioned boys were locked in a test of strength, trying to push each other back as they stood forehead to forehead.

"Hey guys," she spoke as peacemaker, "maybe that's enough. We don't want the master to have to break this up, do we?"

"No way, Lisanna!" Natsu cried. "Not even Gramps is gonna stop me from giving this underdressed ice-boy what he deserves!"

"What did you call me, you pathetic pyro?!" Gray shot back.

Natsu wasn't given the opportunity to repeat himself, as a large shadow was cast over the room. The fighting ceased immediately, and Lucy turned around to see the stuff of nightmares. A giant being wrapped in the blackest darkness loomed over the entirety of the guild, its glowing eyes scowling at the mess before him.

"That's enough!" the figure's deep, demonic-sounding voice echoed out. "I won't allow you to trash my guild hall any longer!"

"'His' guild hall?" Lucy whispered. "Is that the master?" Cana answered her with a silent nod, and for a second she wondered whether her best choice of action was perhaps to turn around and look for another guild, one whose master wasn't also a towering monster.

"What kind of example are you setting for the new recruit here?" he boomed again, turning his gaze on her. Chills ran down her already-frozen spine. "Is this how you want her to think we behave as Fairy Tail wizards?"

"Well, this _is_ how we behave -!" Natsu answered, only to get smacked into the wall, right next to Happy.

Five minutes ago, Lucy might've been shocked at that. It was surprising to her just how fast she had gotten acclimated to the workings of this guild. None of the violence around her seemed to have been out of real ill intent; she could tell it was all in good, sporting fun. And the vibrancy of the mages, it was contagious.

The master then began to shrink rapidly, the blackness dissipating into color as he sunk nearer and nearer to the ground. Lucy really was surprised this time, to find that in his true form, he was an elderly, mustachioed man just taller than her knees.

"It's always great to have new faces around these parts!" he spoke to her with the enthusiasm of a loving grandfather. "I'll take care of your initiation in just a moment, but first, I'm not done reaming through these kids of mine!"

With unprecedented agility, he jumped and backflipped multiple times, until he crashed into the second floor's wooden railing. Lucy worried about his well-being for a moment, but it appeared he was nothing more than just shaken up. With a groan, he pulled himself up to sit on the border, and materialized a large stack of papers in his hand.

"Fairy Tail has been always been home to lively wizards, but never has the list of complaints from the Magic Council been so long!" he began. "It's been over two years now that I've been getting these monthly reports about all the damage you leave in your wake, and quite frankly, I've had enough of it!"

Suddenly, the papers erupted into flames equal to him in size. He tossed the burning pile towards a recovering Natsu, knowing he would consume it to help with snapping him from his daze.

"We are Fairy Tail! Our guild stands for the magical adventure that is life! We are all here, looking for the best way to be our best selves! We will always be willing to help those in need, to help each other, because that is the real nature of our strength! As wizards of this guild, you are obligated to remember that! By striving to live for others, you will walk your path, you will soar your skies, and you will feel truly alive!

"Sure, there might be times when things get a little ugly. You might leave a crack in a wall, or blow the roof off a building, but errors are just a part of life! If you were perfect, you wouldn't be able to learn of the magnificent feeling that is rising above your obstacles! So pay no mind to the delicate sensibilities of the Magic Council! We are Fairy Tail, and we will always adventure with our friends and with our magic! That's what makes us the number one guild in the land!"

A mighty roar shook throughout the hall as the master concluded his speech. Every wizard was on their feet, the grand majority raising their index fingers and thumbs, mimicking their leader's gesture. Lucy found herself not among those pointing, but cheering with as much vigor as any of the long-time members.

**- 0 -**

"So, why did you decide to join our guild?" the master, Makarov, asked. He sat cross-legged atop the bar counter, hand on his chin as he surveyed Lucy from head to toe with an unreadable expression. With his great magic, he had restored the hall to its proper glory, allowing its members to pick up where they left off before Natsu and Gray had instigated the brawl.

"I've read about Fairy Tail for a long time, and I've always had this feeling that this is where I'm supposed to be," she answered, checking herself from sounding overly giddy. "Now that I'm here, and after hearing your speech, I know for sure that this is the place for me."

Makarov studied her for another moment, emitting a low hum from his throat. With no idea on what he could've been thinking, she was a little surprised when his face went from zero to sixty in giving her a beaming smile. "Well then, welcome to Fairy Tail!"

Lucy rejoiced with a fist pump, but then her rational side came out. "Wait, that's it? It's that easy? You're not gonna ask me anything else?"

"Nope," the master answered simply. "I believe you've got the right stuff to make this guild proud to have you as one of its own. Besides, you can never have too many cute girls around!"

"Ah, thanks," she said, choosing to accept the compliment without the awkwardness.

"Now, where would you like to have your guild mark stamped, and in what color?"

After her initiation was completed with a pink guild mark placed on the back of her right hand, Lucy felt compelled to show it off to the nearest familiar face. She found Natsu sitting at a table a few feet away, Happy making himself comfortable on his head. Rushing over, she held up her hand with a big smile. "Check it out, guys! I'm an official Fairy Tail wizard now!"

"Right on. Welcome to the guild, Luigi," he replied, about as interested in the news as when he'd been when offered "Salamander's" autograph.

"It's Lucy!" she cried in correction.

"Welcome to the guild, Lucy," the white-haired girl next to him said. She was infinitely more warm and genuine than the Dragon Slayer, who received a slight nudge for his hollow greeting. "We're happy to have you here."

In her excitement, Lucy had failed to register the three others at the table with Natsu and Happy. Only after hearing one of them speak up did she realize it was the Strauss siblings. Her jaw almost fell at being only a yard away from one of the most recognizable wizards in all the land, but she was able to reign it in. Mirajane, like her sister, gave her a smile, but it didn't have nearly as much of Lisanna's kind sentiment. Elfman simply retained the same frown as when she'd first seen him.

"It's nice to meet you, Lucy," Mira said, her voice containing hints of teasing that the blonde was sure drove men wild. Her brother grunted in agreement, nodding towards her. "So, what kind of magic do you use?"

"I'm a Celestial Wizard," she said, reaching for the key ring attached to her hip. She removed it from her belt with a jingle, and held it up to display her collection.

"Wow," Lisanna said, leaning forward in her seat. "I don't know much about Celestial Spirits, but I've heard that there are only twelve Golden Keys. And you've got three of them? That's really impressive! You must be really strong!"

"I'm really just starting out as a wizard," she said modestly, her face growing slightly red. "I'm sure I'm nowhere near as strong as you guys. I just inherited my Gold Keys from my mom."

"Inherited?" Mira asked, her head tilted to the side somewhat. "Does that mean your mom is...?"

Lucy averted her eyes, but nodded in confirmation.

When she looked up again, she noticed Mira's face had become considerably softer. She almost seemed like a different woman entirely. "I guess you're in the right place, after all," she said gently, leaving an air of mystery in her words that she'd have to inquire about at a later time.

"How can you be such a jerk?!" a distressed voice was heard across the way. The group turned over to the bar, where a young boy of five or six was confronting Makarov, his hands balled into tiny fists, tears brimming around his eyes. "My dad said he'd only be gone for maybe a few days, but's it's been a whole week now! And you're not even gonna try to help him?! What kind of Guild Master are you?!"

"Look, Romeo," Makarov said with a growl in his throat, "your father is a very capable wizard, so have some faith in him. Do you think Macao would've taken the Mt. Hakobe job if he didn't understand the risks involved? If he believed it was within his abilities to handle it alone, I'll trust in his decision. Now go home and wait. He's probably on his way back as we speak."

"That's the same thing you told me two days ago!" Romeo cried, trembling with anger. Unsatisfied with the lack of progress, he swung at Makarov with a yell, striking him right in the nose. Immediately after, he turned around and ran out of the building, wailing about how he hated the master.

"That poor boy," Lucy said, touched by his emotion. "The master should've helped him out."

"He's only doing what Macao would've wanted," Mira explained, most of the sympathy in her face from before vanished. "He wanted to leave alone, and he'll want to make it back alone."

"Macao's a real man," Elfman agreed. "His pride wouldn't let him have it any other way."

The silverware and glasses shook as Natsu pounded the table suddenly, a dark look in his eyes. "That idiot," he snarled intensely as Happy floated off his head. He grabbed his pack that rested at his feet, and rose from his spot on the bench. "His pride isn't more important than his son. If I have to drag him back here kicking and screaming I will, but I'm gonna make sure he's still alive to understand that."

Mira watched him begin to walk away with an amused look, with Happy flying at his shoulder, while Elfman shook his head, brows furrowed. While he clearly disapproved with Natsu's decision, he didn't think to stand in his way. Lisanna, though, stood up after him.

"I'm going with you," she said, her voice unwavering.

Natsu and Happy turned around. His face relaxed into a smile, growing wider with every step she took to close the gap between them.

Before they could advance outside the hall, Happy suddenly focused in on the new blonde. "Hey Lucy," he asked, reminding her that she wasn't just an audience member, "wanna come with us, too?"

"Uh..." she could only manage for a second, being caught off-guard. At first she was excited over the invitation, but then her pragmatism won out. "Really? You know, I probably wouldn't be much help."

"I think you _should_ go with them," Mira suggested, propping her arm on the table to rest her head. "What better way to start at the guild than by diving in head-first, right?"

"No way!" Elfman protested his big sister's idea. "Don't you remember what the Mt. Hakobe job was? Macao was supposed to take out a pack of Vulcans. It's too dangerous to send a newbie to clean up whatever mess he's made of things!"

His words might've been harsher than they needed to be, but ultimately, Lucy knew he was right. She didn't know what a Vulcan was, but if a group of them was able to fend off a reputable wizard like Macao apparently was, she'd more than likely be a liability against them.

"Natsu," Mira called to him while keeping her smirk on Elfman, "you better make sure nothing happens to the girls, got it?"

"Got it," he replied, then turned his beckoning smile over to the blonde. "You ready to go, Lucy?"

On the way out of Magnolia, the team of four found Romeo sitting on the steps of his house, fighting back tears. Hearing their footsteps, he saw them approaching him, and ran up to them. His look of disbelief became one of hope as Natsu ruffled the boy's dark hair, giving him a smile that promised to return his father safe and sound.

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_And here's the first chapter. The first couple of arcs will be split into two halves, with first part typically setting up the scene, and the second featuring the battles and resolution. As we move forward, chapters will get longer, and will probably need to be separated into thirds, possibly even fourths, if need be._

_The Macao arc, which will conclude next chapter, doesn't deviate too much from canon. The biggest difference is Lisanna joining Lucy, Natsu, and Happy as they make their way up to Mt. Hakobe. After that, you'll start to see things heading in different directions._

___This was really fun to write, and I hope you guys had fun reading it, too. After all, that's the idea, right? As always, reviews are very much welcome and appreciated. If personal experience is anything to go by, feedback is my driving force, so if you want more of this, I'm easily reached with just a click. Thanks!_


	2. Macao Arc - Part 2

_Mickey here, bringing you the second chapter, the conclusion of the Macao arc. As I mentioned before, it won't be too different to what we saw in canon. Nevertheless, I hope you do enjoy the changes I was able to make. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 2  
****- A Fire On A Hill -**

"Man, his motion sickness really takes it out of him, huh?" Lucy observed. The four wizards had rented the use of a wagon to speed up their arrival at Mt. Hakobe, and as soon as the vehicle had set out on the bumpy path, Natsu slumped in his seat, on the verge of consciousness.

Lisanna giggled. "He'll be good as new as soon as the wagon stops," she said. She grabbed him from leaning against the side of their carriage, and laid him down across the bench, resting his head on her lap. "Just go to sleep, Natsu. We'll wake you when we get there," she whispered soothingly.

With an incoherent groan, he shut his half-lidded eyes, and faded into a pleasant dream, a land without vehicles.

"Are Natsu and Macao good friends?" Lucy half-whispered after she made sure he was truly asleep. "He was pretty upset when no one offered to help him or his son."

"He's friends with Macao just like everyone else in the guild - yeah, even Gray," Lisanna replied, her countenance taking on a sad smile. "We're all one big family at Fairy Tail. The thing is, though, our real families... For most of the younger generation, our parents aren't around anymore. Cana and Gray, and Natsu, my siblings and I, we were all partially raised at the guild by some of the senior members like Macao.

"He was always one of the more fatherly figures to us, and given that he also uses a type of Fire Magic, he and Natsu always got along really well. He has great respect for him, so I know he's not completely thrilled about having to check up on him. He's doing it more for Romeo than anyone else, because Natsu knows what it's like to have your father with you one day, only for him to disappear and never be heard from again."

"I see," Lucy said. Considering their pasts as Lisanna had explained, she now understood what Mira had meant earlier when she'd said she was in the right place at Fairy Tail. "So Natsu's dad left and never came back, too?"

"Well, it wasn't his real dad - Natsu was raised by a dragon," Lisanna said casually, making the statement sound all the more strange in her ears.

"A dragon?!" she shouted, then clamped her hands over her mouth. She was afraid that she might've woken the boy and incited his sickness again, but he did nothing but the slightest bit of stirring. "You mean Igneel?" she asked, softly this time.

Lisanna nodded. "When Natsu was a little boy, barely of walking age, he was found by Igneel alone in the forest. He taught Natsu some basic things, like language and culture, but it was also from him that he learned his rare and powerful Dragon Slayer Magic. They lived together happily for a few years, until the day that Igneel vanished without a trace. No letter to explain why, no tracks or scent to follow, nothing. Natsu was heartbroken, understandably, but he knows that Igneel wouldn't just abandon him without a good reason. It's his life's goal to one day meet with Igneel again, and make him proud of how strong he's become."

Lucy noticed the way Lisanna smiled down at him, her cheeks matching the hue of the pink spikes she gently fiddled with as she recounted the boy's tragic history. Neither of them noticed Happy shaking as he contained his chuckling. After a moment of debating whether to ask or not, she let her curiosity get the better of her. "Are you and Natsu..." she trailed off, hoping that she didn't need to continue.

Lisanna looked at her briefly, before turning away with a shy smile, the color of her blush deepening. "No," she answered softly. A quick glance at Happy made it clear to Lucy that she wasn't willing to say any more on the matter while the cat was present.

"So, you and your family all use the same kind of magic, right?" she asked, changing topics as the wagon began to decrease its speed. It also began to rock a little harder, as if the wind had picked up. "Mira mentioned it in one of her interviews."

"It's not exactly the same," Lisanna replied, the meekness gone in her tone. "We each specialize in different forms of Take Over Magic. Because I love animals, there wasn't a better style for me than Animal Soul."

As Lucy inquired more about her new friend's powers, growing more impressed with the descriptions, the ride continued to become more and more turbulent. She knew they were traversing uphill - the mission site was a mountain, after all - but what were the road conditions like if she had to hold on to the edge of her seat to keep from bouncing off?

Just as she was about to bring her concerns up, the wagon came to a complete stop, and the driver called out from the front. "Sorry ladies, but this is as far as I'm able to take you. You're gonna have to make it the rest of the way on foot. I'll be waiting here for your return trip."

"Thank you," Lisanna said, gently shaking the boy on her lap. "Wake up, Natsu. We're here."

Natsu, who had been dozing through the tremors, sprang up at her touch with boundless energy. Fire escaped from his lips as he celebrated the motionless foundation. "Alright! Now let's go find Macao!"

He kicked open the wagon's back doors, but before Lucy could ask why he seemed to favor that particular treatment of entryways, she gasped at the sight before her. The sky was gray and the ground piled white with snow, a raucous gust of wind directing the cold flakes' dancing as they sprinkled about. "A blizzard? But it's the middle of summer!"

"It's always snowing on Mt. Hakobe," Happy answered matter-of-factly. "You probably should've worn something a little warmer."

"First of all, I didn't know that! And second, I'm not the only one here who failed to dress up for a winter wonderland, so don't give me that tone, cat!"

"If you don't wanna keep going, feel free to stay here," Natsu said with thinly-veiled annoyance as he jumped out of the wagon, his gaze set forward. Lisanna, shivering in her red and pink dress, stepped into the snow after him, her soft smile telling Lucy that it was okay to stay in the warmth of their ride.

Tempting as the offer was, and still unsure of what the rationale was behind her even coming along with the more experienced mages, she followed them out. How could she ever go back to the guild with the shame of cowering out on her first expedition as a Fairy Tail wizard? She'd never be able to look at any of the others in the eyes again.

Natsu and Happy trekked on as if a blizzard wasn't blowing around them. Of course, Natsu probably had some everburning fire inside that bottomless pit in his stomach that kept him warm, while Happy had his plushy coat of fur. The girls didn't fare as well, as their sleeveless, skirted attire was a better combination for the sunny temperatures of Magnolia. Solidarity with Lisanna was the only reason why Lucy didn't attempt to snatch the blanket from Natsu's pack, mocking her as she watched it bob with his footsteps.

"Hey Natsu," the white-haired girl suddenly spoke up, as if she'd been reading her mind, "lend Lucy your blanket. It's not doing anyone any good just sitting there on your shoulders."

Without a word, he shrugged the strap of his backpack off, allowing him to retrieve the blanket and hold it out to Lucy. She greedily received it, but then turned to the other girl with a bashful look. "What about you? You could use it just as much as me."

"I'll be fine," Lisanna smiled with a wink before shouting, "Take Over!" She began to glow, then shrunk down to Happy size, her frame changing as well. When the light around her faded, it revealed her complete transformation into a baby penguin. "Now I don't feel a thing," she said through her beak.

As she resisted the urge to glomp her tuxedoed bird form, a brilliant thought struck Lucy. "Open, Gate of the Clock Constellation! Horologium!" She raised a Silver Key, and a large object fell from the sky, crashing over her. When the snow it kicked up was rubbed out of their eyes, they were able to see just what it was.

"Whoa! A clock?" Natsu asked. A tall grandfather clock with arms, legs and a face had been summoned by Lucy's key. The Celestial Wizard rested inside the clock, her huddled figure visible through the front glass casing of his body.

"That is totally cool," Happy said in awed envy.

"'Warm and cozy, actually,' she says with relief," the clock spoke. They had seen the blanketed girl's lips move, but nothing was audible beyond Horologium's insides. The spirit took it upon himself to convey her words. "'So where exactly do you plan on looking for Macao all the way out here?' she questions."

"Vulcans live in caves, so when we spot one, we'll check it out," Lisanna said as they continued their way up the mountain. Outpaced by Natsu and Happy in her penguin form, she waddled along beside Horologium. It turned out he wasn't very swift of foot, so the girls were falling behind by a fair amount.

"Macao!" Natsu yelled out to the peaks. "Where are you?!"

"'Do you really think he'll be able to hear you in this storm?' she asks dubiously," Horologium said as Lucy's proxy.

"'We won't know if I don't try,' I retort."

"'It must be fun to talk like that,' Happy wonders out loud," the cat said, getting in on the act.

A faint shadow appeared on the ground before Lucy and Lisanna, growing darker by the second. "Look out!" she said, hopping away as a towering figure landed in front of them.

With ape-like mannerisms and a wicked grin, the Vulcan sneered at the wizards, who were momentarily stunned by its sudden entry. It didn't take long for him to choose a target, setting his sights on the blonde inside the clock. Dashing through the snow, he grabbed ahold of Horologium, and lifted the clock over his head victoriously.

"'Help me!' she wails," Horologium expressed on Lucy's behalf as they were tucked under the Vulcan's arm. The monster then began to scale up the side of the mountain effortlessly, heading towards an opening in the wall.

"Lucy!" Lisanna cried, reverting back into her human self. "We have to save her!"

Ignoring the cold, she took off, leading the three up the spiraling pathway. It didn't take them long to come across a network of caves, but they weren't sure which was the one the Vulcan had disappeared into with their teammate. Picking one at random, they stuck their heads in to avoid the howling wind, and caught sound of an eager, beastly chant of "Woman! Woman! Woman!"

"Wait, don't leave me, Horologium!" Lucy's voice met their ears again, despairing on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, but my time is up," the clock replied, every word fainter than the last. Whether the pun was intended or not, it was hard to be sure.

Running deeper into the cave, it lead them to a wide area with stalagmites and stalactites protruding through the ice-layered floor and ceiling. In the middle of the area, visibly the clearest section, the Vulcan was leaning in close to the newest member of their guild, fingers twitching in anticipation.

"Hey!" Natsu yelled at the monster. "Get away from - whoa!"

The fire mage grew careless as he charged in, slipping on the slick floor. He slid for a few feet, his momentum halted by colliding with a stalagmite. Happy and Lisanna sighed at the boy, while Lucy took advantage of the distraction he was at least able to provide, scrambling to get away from the confused Vulcan.

"Alright!" Natsu said with a wince as he jumped to his feet. "Now where's Macao?"

"Eh?" the Vulcan asked, scratching the top of his head. He then noticed that his hostage was no longer next to him, but regrouping with another attractive girl across the clearing. A devious grin came over his face.

"You know, the guy who came looking for you," Natsu said, oblivious to his enemy's change in expression. "Tall, scruffy-looking man. What'd you do with him?"

"Oh! Man!" the Vulcan said in overacted realization. He leaped over to an opening in the wall, the storm continuing to rage outside, and pointed through it. "Man there!"

"Ah, nice! Thanks!" the Dragon Slayer hurried over, and stuck his head out into the storm. He saw nothing but the other peaks of the mountain range, not even a dark speck amongst the sea of white that could've been his friend. Just as he was about to complain to the Vulcan about the misinformation, he felt a strong push on his back, sending him falling outside.

"Natsu!" the three others cried as his voice faded into the wind, picturing him dropping like a stone.

"Happy!" Lisanna turned to the cat. With a nod, he took off, bursting through the opening in an attempt to save their friend. "Looks like it's up to us to handle things," she said to Lucy as they watched the Vulcan celebrate his trick, dancing and shaking his hips a little too suggestively for their liking.

Her determination reinvigorated Lucy, whose panicked brain suddenly focused. She reached for her key ring, and selected her best spirit for the job. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

Cracks appeared on the surface of the ice-covered floor, and a large black-and-white body powered out from under the ground. With a loud moo and the bell around his neck ringing, Lucy's Celestial Spirit flexed his muscular humanoid frame with a confident grin.

"Taurus is the strongest spirit I have a contract with. He'll be able to go toe-to-toe with that overgrown monkey," Lucy explained, smirking at her move.

"Hey, Miss Lucy. That figure of yours just keeps getting better and better every time I see you," Taurus said, the stare he aimed at his master not unlike the Vulcan's. "What do I have to do to get a _smoooch_ from you?"

"And not to mention, a total perv himself," she then added, exasperated.

"Cow?" the Vulcan growled at his latest guest. "Cow is not woman! Me no like man-cow!"

"Get him, Taurus!" Lucy commanded, pointing at her target.

With a bellowing moo, Taurus removed his giant two-bladed poleaxe from the strap around his back. He twirled it with great speed as he sprang towards the Vulcan, and brought it down with enough force to cause fissures in the icy ground. The monster managed to roll away from the blow, then went on the offensive as he lunged at Taurus with a rabid grin.

"Lucy," Lisanna said to her, worriedly looking around the cave as the battle raged on. "Maybe it'd be best to use another spirit. That axe he has... I don't think we wanna injure the Vulcan too badly."

"How come?" Lucy asked, but didn't receive an answer, as Taurus's turn was about to come to an end.

The two met in the center of the clearing, locked in a standstill to overpower the other as the Vulcan took hold of Taurus's weapon. Their grit was evident on their faces, their strength roughly equal as they struggled to gain the upper hand. They were so consumed by their grapple, they didn't hear the incoming yell of fury until the fiery dart sent them flying in opposite directions.

"So you throw me off the mountain so you can wrestle with that bull monster? You kicked the wrong guy out of the fight!" Natsu said with a devilish smirk, standing where the two had been previously been engaged. "The Vulcan's free, but that bull's gonna cost Macao a part of the reward!"

"That's not an enemy, you idiot! That's one of my spirits!" Lucy clamored as Taurus groaned, down for the count. Natsu's attack had sent him crashing into a stalactite, the ceiling fixture crumbling into pieces from the impact of his bulk. One particularly large chunk had fallen directly onto his horned head, rendering him unable to continue.

"Oh. Sorry."

Lucy scowled at him for the halfhearted apology. "Shouldn't you be about to hurl after flying with Happy?!" she demanded, more than a little ticked at his not being any worse for wear after the state he'd left her spirit in.

Natsu eyed her as if she had lost all common sense. "Why would I be? It's not like Happy's a vehicle; he's my friend!" He then turned to Happy, hovering just above their heads, and flashed him a big smile. "Anyway, thanks for the save, little buddy! I owe you one!"

"Aye!" Happy said with a nod.

As they chatted, the Vulcan had gotten back to his feet, suffering from no more than the single blow Natsu had dealt. Pounding his chest with a roar, he closed the distance between him and the pink-haired wizard with just two long bounds. He narrowly leapt away from getting bowled over, igniting his fists in flames.

"I'll take care of him! You two stay back!" he commanded.

"Hold on, Natsu!" Lisanna warned. "Don't hurt him too seriously! That's Macao!"

"What?!" Natsu and Lucy cried.

"Vulcans have a special Take Over ability!" she explained as Natsu danced around the monkey's swipes. "They gain control and reshape their victim's bodies to their own form! If this is the Vulcan's lair and Macao's nowhere to be found, then that must mean the Vulcan is using his body, so any damage you deal him also affects Macao!"

"So I've gotta hold back, huh?" Natsu muttered through his teeth, as if the thought itself pained him.

"Restraint isn't one of his strong suits," Happy commented, as if he needed to advertise the fact.

"How can we beat that thing if hurting it means hurting Macao?" Lucy asked. She'd never met him, but she didn't want to cause him any more injuries that he'd already been inflicted.

The Vulcan, sensing Natsu's apprehension, drove him back with an onslaught of blows. He dodged every last one, but wasn't able to counterattack as he tried to figure a way to end the fight without excessive force. He also wasn't aware of how the Vulcan had steered him in the direction of Taurus's axe, which he picked up once it was within reach.

With a slasher smile, the Vulcan swung heedlessly at Natsu. It was as if he was a natural with the weapon, as the blade came dangerously close to slicing through the Dragon Slayer on more than one occasion. With a downward swing, he lodged the axe in the ground, giving Natsu the moment he needed to jump back and breathe. He dug it out with a wild glint in his eyes, then flung the axe with an upwards trajectory.

"Not even close!" Natsu mocked, standing his ground as the weapon whirled by over his head.

"Watch out!" Lisanna cried. She began to glow, then disappeared from beside Lucy and Happy in a flash.

When they next saw her, she was on the ground with Natsu, a few feet from where he had been just a second before. The axe had sliced through a stalactite that had been directly over him, and its fall would've impaled him if she hadn't intervened. Instead, it shattered harmlessly as it struck the ground.

"Looks like I owe you one, too," he said with a smile as he realized what happened.

"Don't mention it," Lisanna returned his smile in kind. She turned back to the monster as they climbed to their feet, who gawked at her with an open jaw over her new appearance.

Her pink and red dress was gone, replaced with an orange and black midriff-exposing top, with a matching short skirt. Bracers of similar design adorned her forearms, and black stockings rose above her knees, but her hands and feet had become paws covered in brown fur. Likewise, new pointy ears sprouted from her hair, and a large, bushy tail with a white stripe down the middle gently swayed behind her.

"That's one of Lisanna's Partial Take Overs," Happy explained to Lucy animatedly. "Her Squirrel Soul doesn't give her much of a boost in strength, but it does make her lightning-fast! And her tail is super soft and fluffy!"

"No kidding," Lucy said, still awestruck that she was able to cover the gap between them and Natsu, twenty-five feet or so, in the blink of an eye.

Lisanna took a battle stance with a bittersweet smile. "Looks like we don't have much choice. If we wanna save Macao, then we're gonna have to knock the Vulcan out of him."

Natsu grinned. "Now you're talkin'. Just gimme one good shot."

Lisanna obliged him, snapping the Vulcan out of his lovestruck state by suddenly moving a few feet to his right. Making sure his eyes were at least keeping up, she wagged her tail at him before rushing to his left side. Dumbfounded by her speed, he was unable to react properly as she moved in front of him for the briefest of instants, flashing him a smirk before disappearing like an apparition.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" As soon as she was gone, a blazing fist struck him right between the eyes, the glow of the fire the last light he saw before blacking out.

The four Fairy Tail wizards stood over the Vulcan's unconscious body, waiting, but not entirely sure what for. A collective exhale was let out as the Vulcan was wrapped in bright light, then shrunk down to a normal human size. Lucy gazed upon Macao for the first time as they cheered their victory, but the celebration was cut short as she pointed out his injuries.

Bruises dotted his exposed skin, the most prevalent of which darkened the area in between his eyes. His clothes were dirty and torn, and his breathing was troubled. Natsu dug through his pack's first aid kit, while Lucy, Happy and Lisanna rolled him onto their blanket. With their combined efforts, the four were able to bandage his wounds with timely efficiency. It didn't take very long after for Macao to recover consciousness.

Like a magnet, his half-lidded eyes were drawn to Lucy. "I always hoped there'd be a beautiful blonde angel waiting for me in heaven," he spoke, his throat raspy.

"Uh..."

"Hey Macao!" Natsu yelled with a big grin as he got in his face. "Glad you're alright!"

The middle-aged wizard frowned. "Never mind. Not heaven."

"How are you feeling?" Lisanna asked tenderly.

Macao turned his head towards her, now smiling. "I've been better," he said, "but thanks to you guys, I'll _be_ better, too."

"Good," Natsu intoned sternly. "You've got someone back home that needs you to stick around for awhile."

"Romeo," Macao sighed his son's name. "What's he gonna think when he find out his old man was able to take out nineteen Vulcans, only to get done in by the twentieth?"

"I'd think he'd proud of you," Lucy spoke up. "You were able to defeat nineteen of those beasts? We had trouble with just one. Who wouldn't be impressed by that?"

Macao's face relaxed, appreciative of her kind words. "You must be new to the guild," he noted, spotting their insignia on the kneeling girl's hand. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

**- 0 -**

On way back to Magnolia, once they had managed to aid Macao down the mountain and into their waiting ride, they explained what had prompted them to come rescue him. As predicted, the veteran mage felt embarrassed over having needed to be saved, but he didn't shy away from expressing gratitude. He humbly thanked the four for their efforts.

"If it hadn't been for you guys, I'd never be able to see my son again," he said, smiling sadly. "Erza warned me about coming up to Mt. Hakobe by myself. I guess this little adventure of mine's taught me that I might be getting too old for the cool jobs, but at least, I'll still be around to watch Romeo grow up."

The sun was setting when they found the boy the same way they'd last seen him, sitting alone on his house steps. The faith that they'd left him with appeared to have kept him from shedding tears, but his dejected expression had returned.

"Romeo!" Natsu called out with a wave, his other arm holding up a limping Macao. "Check out what we found!"

"Dad!" Romeo cried, bouncing off the steps. He charged at the group, and jumped into a vicegrip around his father's midsection. "You're back!"

"Yeah," Macao said, patting his head affectionately. "Sorry about making you worry about me. If those kids ever want to make fun of you again, you tell 'em that you've got a dad that can beat nineteen monsters, and friends who'll deal with the rest."

Romeo lit up, then shared his beaming smile with the others. "Natsu, Happy, Lisanna, Lucy! Thank you for saving my dad!"

Lucy smiled in returned. It warmed her heart to be part of such a joyful reunion, saving the memory into her mind. She couldn't have asked for a more extraordinary first day at the guild. She wouldn't count on the rest of her time being quite as exciting, but with the people she'd met and the ones she could count on as friends, she was already in love with her new home. She knew, without a doubt, there was no better place for her than Fairy Tail.

* * *

_I really do like the way this came out. I wanna keep to the true Fairy Tail spirit of wackiness, but I also wanna tone down some of the unbeatable-shonen-hero vibes as well, make characters a little more vulnerable than we know them as. This particular chapter was pretty straightforward, as it didn't really deviate much from canon aside from Lisanna's presence. Beginning next chapter, we'll see that change._

_Of course, I'll also be introducing some new abilities for the cast, as exemplified by Lisanna's Partial Squirrel Soul. The design for that was inspired by Makoto Nanaya of Blazblue, except not nearly as fanservicey, and lacking her super strength (I've got another animal in mind for that). If you got the reference - and there'll be a lot more from all kinds of anime, shows, movies, books - major kudos._

_So far I've been enjoying myself greatly in writing this fic, and I hope the same goes for you readers. I always love getting constructive input to help me grow as a writer, so I always appreciate reviews. Thanks for checking the story out so far, and I hope you guys can stay with me for what's to come!_


	3. Daybreak Arc - Part 1

_Back again, bringing you the first part of the Daybreak arc. This'll more than likely be the last time a whole arc is featured in just two parts; from now on, I fully expect at least three chapters, and I'm sure four will be necessary at some point. Until then, read on, and please enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 3  
- Author's Insight -**

Lucy walked into the guild hall with a sense of purpose. She wasn't sure what it had in store for her today, but she was resolute in making it count. She had just returned from successfully renting a comfy apartment not too far from her new base of operations, after having spent her first night in Magnolia in a cheap motel. She was elated to have found something so nice at a rather convenient price tag, but at the moment, she felt her biggest victory was in having secured her living conditions so early in the day. It wasn't yet noon, so she had plenty of time to better acquaint herself with some of her guildmates, and maybe even pick her first official job.

As she made her way inside, she spotted a shirtless Gray walk by Loke and his two lady friends. One of them was drawn in by his aloof stride, but Loke whispered something to regain her attention, causing both girls to giggle and snuggle closer to him.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the scene, then caught sight of Cana at the bar. A frothy mug of beer in one hand, the brunette waved her over with the other. She downed her drink just as Lucy took a seat on the stool next to her. "Hey, Cana," she greeted warmly, which was reciprocated. Motioning with her head over to Loke and his company, she asked, "Are those two girls members of the guild?"

"Nope. Just the lucky Loke fangirls of the week," she smirked, catching a refill that slid across the bar without even having seen it coming. "Us Fairy Tail girls have an understanding when it comes to Loke: turn him down no matter what he says or does. As I'm sure you'll learn for yourself, he's persistent. He won't go away without putting up a fight, and believe me, some of us have gladly obliged him."

Lucy nodded along with a grateful smile. While she had no intentions of affiliating with Loke in a romantic sense, she was happy to have learned something about the sisterhood in the guild. "And, what's the deal with Gray?" she asked. As if following a script, the ice mage slipped out of his dark jeans as she presented her question, leaving him in just his boxers as he took a seat at a table.

The Card Wizard laughed at Lucy's wide-eyed reaction. "The skivvies usually stay on, so you can relax - unless you were hoping for more of a show." The new girl shook her head, her faced flushed, getting Cana to grin even wider. "Anyway, he doesn't strip because he's vain or a perv," she began. "It's just an unconscious habit that's ingrained into his core. And before you ask where he could've possibly picked up a habit like that, I'm the only one here who knows that story, and I'm not allowed to share."

"You guys must be pretty close," Lucy concluded. Cana's voice softened a bit when she mentioned knowing Gray's past, the tell-tale indicator.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she replied, playfully stern. "I was a part of Fairy Tail years before the other younger guys joined. Gray was the first kid my age to come along, and we became fast friends." She paused to take a sip of her new drink, savoring it before resuming. "So I heard about what happened with Macao yesterday. I'll admit, I didn't take you for a total badass when I first saw you, but hey, who doesn't love a pleasant surprise?"

Lucy looked at her, confused. Her, a badass? When did that happen? "What exactly did you hear?"

"That you summoned a giant bull monster that was beating the daylights out of the Vulcan. You had him right where you wanted him, but Natsu just had to play hero and steal your thunder."

"And who'd you hear this from?"

"Happy."

"He wasn't even there for that part!" Lucy cried before adjusting her volume. "Yeah, I had one of my Celestial Spirits face off against the Vulcan, but we just held him to a standstill, really. It was nothing to merit being called a badass."

Cana shrugged. "Give yourself some credit. You were a member for what, twenty minutes before you decided to join a rescue party at Mt. Hakobe and take on a Vulcan? Most people give themselves a couple days before looking for their first _paying_ job, but you were up and out _for free_ moments after getting your guild stamp."

Lucy couldn't help but blush at the praise. While she still felt undeserving of that particular reputation, Cana did bring up valid points that she could take pride in. "Thanks," she smiled.

"Hey Lucy!" a squeaky voice called from above her. The two girls looked up, finding Happy as he slowly lowered himself onto the bar counter. "Natsu and Lisanna are over there looking for a job," he said with a grin, gesturing to the request board with his paw. True to his word, the Dragon Slayer and the Take Over Wizard were musing over the postings, meticulously going through the ample selection. "Wanna come with us?"

"Really?" Lucy asked excitedly, but was quick to tone it down. "Is it okay with them?"

"When I asked, Lisanna said she'd love for you to come along, and Natsu's fine with it one way or the other," Happy answered. "So are you in?"

"Sure!" She offered Cana an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I was looking forward to getting a job today. Can we talk more when we get back?"

"Of course," the brunette said, raising her mug at the ready-and-willing blonde with a wink, "so long as you agree that the two of us should find some work together later. What do you say?"

"Definitely," Lucy agreed. Happy lead her over to the request board, where Natsu stood with a passive expression but crossed arms. Lisanna, conversely, wore a smile, holding her hands behind her back. "You guys having trouble picking a mission?" she asked as she came up behind them.

"We talked about some of the ones we could take in case you weren't coming along with us," Lisanna replied, "but we actually wanted to let you decide. It'll be your first official job, so it should be up to you."

"Oh, thanks," Lucy said, lighting up at the kind gesture.

"Just be sure to pick something cool," Natsu said, flashing her a toothy grin. "Like, a retrieval job that pays really well."

Lucy noted the way his head was inclined and his smile hinting, his eyes darting between her and a poster situated near the bottom left of the board. Stepping forward to get a better view, she read the job's brief description. Their client wanted them to procure a book from a corrupt politician named Duke Everlue, who apparently was a dirty old man looking to hire a blonde maid.

The last part stuck out to her, and she understood why Natsu not-so-subtly suggested it. She could already see what his grand plan was: she would distract Everlue in a maid costume while the others searched his mansion for the novel. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of playing decoy and being left alone with another perv, not after yesterday's events, but before she could spite him and select another mission for them, she glanced at the reward.

"This one fit the bill?" she asked with a grin, untacking the piece of paper. 200,000 Jewel was being offered for successful retrieval of the book, and split four ways between the team would net her 50,000. She could earn over two-thirds of her rent with this single job.

"Stealing a book doesn't sound all that exciting, but if that's the one you want..." Natsu said, clasping his hands behind his head in a show of feigned apathy. His triumphant smirk indicated he truly felt otherwise.

"Hi Levy! Hi Droy! Hi Jet!" Lisanna said cheerfully. Lucy turned around, and saw a petite girl with two tall, lanky boys at her side making their way to the request board.

"Hi Lisanna! Hey Natsu and Happy!" the girl said enthusiastically, the boys nodding in greeting. She then looked at the unfamiliar new blonde, nonetheless offering the same sweet smile as her old friends. "Hi there. I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Levy, and this is Jet, and Droy. Together, we're Team Shadow Gear." The boys struck a pose at the mention of their trio's name, cheering in adoration of their leader.

"I'm Lucy. I just joined the guild yesterday. It's really nice to meet you guys," she said, her team's name striking a familiar chord. Levy was a very cute girl, and with her noteworthy slender frame that broke the curvy precedent set by every other Fairy Tail girl she had seen so far and peppy charm, it was no wonder Jet and Droy seemed thrilled to be in a party with her.

"So you're working with Natsu, Lisanna and Happy, huh? I bet that's a lot of fun," Levy said with a knowing smile. "Hey, do you guys know if anyone's already taken that book-stealing job yet? I was hoping it'd still be available by the time we got back from the mission we just finished."

"Uh..." Lucy suddenly felt incredibly awkward, the poster crinkling in her hands.

"That's the one we just decided to go on," Happy said, pointing to the ad Lucy held. He seemed to be oblivious to his upbeat answer's upsetting effect on Levy.

"Aw, man," she pouted. "I was really looking forward to seeing what that book was about! It must be super rare if the client is willing to go to so much trouble just to get it! I would've loved to have a chance at reading it over before turning it in!"

"Do you like to read?" Lucy inquired.

Levy clasped her hands together, her face filled with wondrous joy. "There's nothing I love more than reading!" she proclaimed. Jet and Droy's eyes drooped at her words, but their disappointment went unnoticed. "If you ask me, books are the most special kind of magic. The places they can take you, the words that express a life of their own! What else could the effect of an amazing story be called but spellbinding?"

Lucy, an avid reader herself and an aspiring novelist, related perfectly with Levy's feelings. Her admission also reminded Lucy of where she'd heard the 'Shadow Gear' name before; it was a secret organization that sometimes helped, sometimes deterred, the hero of an adventure series she'd read growing up. She wanted nothing more at that moment to turn the flyer over to the blue-haired girl, but she knew it wasn't her call to make, not without the consent of her group. "Would you guys be okay if we let them have this job?" she asked carefully.

Lisanna nodded with a smile. "It only seems fair, right?"

Levy and her team celebrated the decision. "Cute _and_ considerate!" the boy with the long coat and hat, Jet, said in admiration.

_"_We'll totally find a way to make this up to you!" Droy said with even more reverence.

"This is so sweet of you! Thanks a bunch!" Levy said as she reached out to accept the mission poster Lucy held out.

"Not so fast, Team Shadow Gear!" Natsu declared as he snatched the flyer away before Levy had received it. "You know the deal with these jobs! It's first come, first serve! We got to it while you were just lounging around the hall, so you've got no one to blame but yourselves for missing out!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy nodded in agreement.

"Natsu, how can you be so insensitive?" Lucy growled at him. Even if he didn't want to turn the job over to them, he didn't have to sound so smug about it.

"We should let them have it, guys," Lisanna said, hoping to coerce the boy and his cat with the soothing tone that rarely failed her.

"Sorry, Levy, but it serves Jet right for -" Natsu started heatedly, but paused when he remembered the company he was in, "- that one time."

"You still haven't gotten over that? Jeez, man, let it go already!" Jet cried in exasperation. "It wasn't enough that both you and Elfman made a point to single me out in brawls for a whole month? Look, if you're gonna be mad at me, fine, but don't take it out on Levy, too!"

"His mind's made up," Happy commented as Natsu folded his arms with a vindictive smirk. "There's no getting through to him now."

"You heard the man!" Natsu said gleefully as he and his cat began to march towards the bar. "Lisanna! Lucy! Let's get a move on!"

As he turned the poster over to Master Makarov at the bar counter, necessary to be officially recognized as having accepted the job, the more reasonable girls apologized vehemently to the Shadow Gear trio.

"We're really sorry about this," Lisanna bowed slightly. "You know how he is, though. I was hoping he'd forgotten all about that, but I guess that was just wishful thinking."

Lucy was curious about this incident they referred to between Natsu, Jet and Elfman, and made a mental note to ask Lisanna for details when they were isolated from the hothead and Happy. Right now, though, she just wanted to lift poor Levy's spirits. "You know, Levy, I'm something of a writer myself," she began, embarrassment coloring her face. "I'm working on a novel right now, even though it's no good and I've never really wanted to let anyone else read it. But since you love books so much, I'd be honored if you wanted to take a look at what I have so far."

Instantly, Levy's dejected face brightened once more at the offer. "Absolutely I would!" she clamored. "The honor would be all mine! I'd love to be the first person that gets to read your work!"

"It's a deal, then," Lucy smiled. Levy's love of literature was so clear, it defined her just as readily as her short stature and infectious positivity. She had only ever intended for people very special to her to be able to read her story, but just in the brief time she'd known Levy, she could already tell she'd made the right decision in advance.

**- 0 -**

"Please tell me we're there," Natsu gurgled faintly.

"Almost. Just a little bit longer," Lisanna said, her voice tender as she patted his hair.

Once again, the Dragon Slayer had been rendered out of commission by the voyage. Their destination, Shirotsume Town, was no farther from Magnolia than Mt. Hakobe had been, and they'd decided the train would be the fastest and cheapest way there. This time, however, the boy had to suffer through his motion sickness. He hadn't been able to fall asleep on Lisanna's lap as before, causing Lucy to inwardly grin at his plight. It had to be cosmic justice for the way he'd refused to give up this job to Levy's team.

"If you had a way to fly, we could've been there by now, and Natsu wouldn't have to be feeling sick," Happy pointed out, sitting beside her.

"Are you insinuating this is somehow _my_ fault?" Lucy challenged. "If I remember correctly, _you're_ the one who invited me along with you guys."

Shortly thereafter, the train arrived at the quiet station in the little town of Shirotsume. Lucy and Lisanna stepped out of the transport without any sort of difficulty, but Natsu dizzily stumbled onto the concrete, nearly falling on his face. To him, no other vehicle sucked as much as those damned trains.

Heading for their client's address, the girls lead the way through the main street as Happy walked alongside a trudging Natsu. His back was hunched, his footsteps heavy, and his face blank in discomfort. "You still haven't recovered?" Lucy asked over her shoulder. She'd noted the Dragon Slayer usually sprung back to his normal self almost immediately after whatever he'd been riding had stopped.

"So... hungry..." he managed to reply.

"Seriously?!"

"It feels like I haven't eaten in days," he whined. Suddenly, his back straightened, and his features came alive as he sniffed the air. "There's food over there!" he yelled, pointing to the restaurant directly across from them as if it were the last oasis on the planet.

"Do you mind if we stop to eat before meeting the client?" Lisanna asked Lucy, even though they both knew it was pointless to try to keep Natsu out of that restaurant.

"You guys go on ahead," she said. "I'm not very hungry right now. I'll take a look around town while you guys eat, if that's alright with you."

"Are you sure? If you're trying to lose weight, skipping meals isn't a very healthy way to do it, you know," Happy said as Natsu merrily made a beeline for the entrance.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"If you want, I can go along with you," Lisanna intervened, speaking to the enraged girl. "I'm not all that hungry myself, and I've only ever passed through Shirotsume Town on the way to another city. I'd like to get a bit more familiar with it, too."

"Sounds good," Lucy said with a smile. Time alone with Lisanna meant she could ask questions she wouldn't broach with the other two around.

"Alright then," Natsu called from the restaurant's entrance, his big grin visible from the distance. "Be sure to meet us back here when you're done, 'cause Happy and I don't plan on finishing up until then, got it?"

If anyone other than him had made that suggestion, Lucy would've feared for their safety.

The girls continued down the main street with a casual stroll. When they came to the center of the town, a large water fountain surrounded by benches sat in the middle of the four intersecting ways. They opted to make use of the benches, the cool spray from the fountain helping stave off the summer heat. Lucy read all the shops' signs within her vision range, while Lisanna observed the collection of birds that lined the fountain's border, dipping their beaks in for a drink.

"So I picked out a great apartment this morning," Lucy said excitedly. "It's not all that big, but I really do like it. You should come over and see it some time."

"An apartment?" Lisanna asked, confused. The plump bird that she had been beckoning to sit on her finger retreated, momentarily causing her to pout before turning back to Lucy. "You're not gonna be staying at Fairy Hills?"

"What's that?" The place rung a bell - she'd likely read about it in Sorcerer Weekly at some point - but couldn't remember what it was supposed to be.

"It's the dormitory where most of the girls in the guild live. Mira and I live there, and Cana and Levy."

Lisanna went on to explain more of the intricacies of Fairy Hills, each new detail making Lucy wish for a time travel machine to take her back to that morning. "Man, I wish I'd known about this place before I signed my lease - I'm locked in for the next six months."

"If you explained to your landlord, I'm sure they'd let you out of it early," Lisanna suggested. "The people of Magnolia love Fairy Tail; they're usually very supportive when we ask something of them."

Lucy shook her head with a slight smile. "I'll ride it out. As a Celestial Wizard, my word is my bond. Promises and contracts are very important to me, so I always do my best to follow through on them. Fairy Hills sounds like an amazing place, but for now, my apartment is my home." Suddenly remembering, she reached for the ring of keys on her belt. "Speaking of which, I still haven't worked out a contract with my latest spirit. If you like, I can show you how it's done tomorrow at my place."

"I'd love to be there," Lisanna accepted brightly.

A moment of quiet passed between them, as Lucy again was hesitant to ask her question. Finally, she found the words to ask. "I'm sorry if I sound pushy about this, but... you and Natsu, is there something between you guys?"

Lisanna blushed as she focused on her knees. "Natsu's and I have been best friends ever since we were little. We've been through a lot together, and it's no secret to the guild how close we are. But, we're not anything more than that."

"Do you wish you were?" Lucy was afraid she was being intrusive and overstepping her boundaries, but Lisanna didn't seem to mind.

"I do," she whispered, her voice barely louder than the fountain spray behind them. "I know it's totally silly to think this way, but ever since we hatched Happy from his egg -"

"Happy came from an egg?!" Lucy was bewildered at the revelation, but she quickly apologized and asked her to continue.

"Ever since then, I've always had this idea in my head that Natsu and I are like a family. It's like he's the husband and I'm the wife, and Happy is our son. It's so strange for me to even imagine a future without him in it. The thing is, I'm not sure what kind of future he envisions for himself. I know he cares for me, but I don't know if I'm special to him in the same way that he's special to me."

"I'm sure you are," Lucy said powerfully, as if there were no other alternatives. "I know you've probably heard it before, to the point where you must be tired of listening to it, but he's different when you're around. I may not have known him for very long, but I've noticed how his eyes are brighter, and his smile is gentler when he looks at you. It's a totally different kind of excitement for him than when he fights; it's like he's got something precious that he'd never want to lose. Natsu's simple and brash, which makes his emotions not all that difficult to read, and from what I can tell, you're just as special to him as he is to you. He might not be mature enough to really understand what he feels in his heart right now, but he will someday."

The white-haired girl smiled sadly at the word that contained just as much anxiety as it did hope for her. "Someday."

"And one more thing," she asked, the wheels in her head turning as she stared at the rather large clothing store down to their left. "What was he talking about before? That thing with him and Jet, and your brother?"

"Oh, that," Lisanna said, her blush remaining steady. "Well, both Jet and Droy like Levy."

"Thought so. I'm guessing that's not much of a secret throughout the guild, either."

Lisanna shook her head, smiling. "Anyway, a couple months ago, Jet came up to me and said that we should pretend to start dating, to make Levy and Natsu jealous. I didn't like the idea so I declined, but he went ahead and practically shouted that he'd be picking me up later that night anyway. Big Brother Elf and Natsu weren't at the guild hall at the time, but Mira was, and she was more than happy to let them know about my 'plans' for the evening. Needless to say, it didn't end up working out for 'us' - less so Jet. The boys didn't let him off easy, not even after he told them it was all a joke."

Lucy couldn't help but grin. While she still couldn't agree with the way he'd gone about refusing to give Shadow Gear the mission they were on, she understood Natsu's motivations. She'd come to expect nothing less than a passionate response from him when he was riled up, and his special best friend certainly had to be one of his triggers.

**- 0 -**

"Pass the ribs."

"You already ate them."

"Then pass the fish."

"I already told you, you're not getting any of my fish!"

Natsu and Happy gorged themselves in the outdoor patio behind the restaurant, voraciously reaching across the table laden with a variety of dishes. Happy protectively sat between his plate of fish and Natsu, using his body to ward off the boy's attempts at sampling his meal. Every couple of minutes, he found himself swiping back his hand, until it became an automatic response.

"I wonder what's taking the girls so long," he said, nibbling on a mackerel. Natsu tore into a drumstick, but even if his mouth had been available to complain, he would've opted not to.

"Wonder no more, boys," a sugary-sweet voice was heard approaching.

Looking up from their plates, Natsu' and Happy's eyes widened, and if their mouths hadn't been in the middle of the savoring process, their jaws would've dropped at the sight before them. Lucy and Lisanna were dressed in maid outfits, similar but distinctly differing. Lucy's featured full sleeves that puffed at the shoulders, while Lisanna's loose sleeves weren't connected to the body of her dress; rather, they began just above her elbows, leaving her upper arms exposed.

"What do you think?" Lucy continued to use her best obedient tone, striking a cute pose as she twirled the ends of her double pigtails and winked. "Would you hire us, Master Happy and Master Natsu?"

Instead of answering, Natsu turned to the cat. "Did you mention anything to them about the maid costume?" he whispered.

"Nope. She must've thought of it on her own. Does that make her smarter or dumber than I thought?" Happy asked, equally hushed.

"I'm standing right here, you know!"

"Yeah, that'll work, I guess," Natsu said with a nonchalant shrug. "But Lisanna, what's up with your hair?"

Lisanna smiled, her locks gleaming the same color as Lucy's blonde in the sun. "What do you think?"

"It looks good," he answered tentatively, and Lucy was shocked that his cheeks began to take on a pink hue, "but I like you just the way you are."

Now it was Lisanna's turn to blush. "The job said Duke Everlue was looking for a blonde maid, so I just used a simple transformation spell on my hair. This way, we can pitch ourselves as friends willing to split the pay to work together. Getting two cute maids for the price of one should make us all the more desirable, right?" she explained, invoking the maid voice at the end.

"It should," he admitted, somewhat disheartened. To be honest, even though he and Happy had conspired to get Lucy to wear a maid costume for the task of infiltrating Everlue's mansion, he had been hoping that the ploy would bust, leaving them to try a more fun, direct approach. He didn't want stealing the book to be that easy, but with Lisanna also donning the black and white uniform, he wasn't sure how it could fail now. Everlue would have to be out of his mind to turn the pair and their story down.

"Hurry up and finish eating so we can go meet the client!" Lucy growled, still mad about Happy's comments about her weight and intelligence. Clearing the rest of their dishes as she frowned at them made it a less-than-enjoyable culinary experience, something she took pleasure in.

After paying the restaurant owners a small fortune, Natsu directed them towards the client's house. They left the center of the town for the affluent outskirts it was located in, passing by several mansions before they came to the right address. They rung the bell at the outer gate, and shortly after, a middle-aged man in a suit came out of the house.

"You must be the Fairy Tail wizards who accepted my job," he said as he unlocked the gate. "Please, follow me."

The client lead them into his mansion, the four mesmerized by the grand spacing and wealthy decor. When they came into the living room, he took his place on a loveseat beside a woman with a warm smile, his wife, and offered the extended couch opposite them for the four mages to occupy.

"I am Kaby Melon," he introduced himself kindly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're named after food?" Happy asked, his ears perking up. "You must get free melons all the time!"

Kaby chuckled as Happy and Natsu began dreaming about scenarios in which their surnames were their favorite meals. As Lisanna prodded them out of their free food fantasy, Lucy wondered to herself why the man's name sounded so familiar.

"Now then, the job that I've brought you here for is quite simply stated: Shirotsume Town's Mayor, Duke Everlue, owns a book entitled _Daybreak. _All I ask of you is that you find it, and destroy it," Kaby explained.

Natsu grinned, creating a small flame atop his raised index finger. "Consider it as good as ash."

"Can we ask why you need this book destroyed?" Lucy inquired. In case it wasn't proper to ask a client's motivations when they hadn't already been made known, she asked with utmost politeness, especially when she felt it was justifiable to sound disapproving. To her, there were few good reasons to dispose of a novel in the way he was asking them to. "200,000 Jewel is a lot to pay for something so straightforward."

"Actually, I've increased the reward to 2 million Jewel," Kaby deflected in correction.

"2 million?!" they repeated, floored by number. As Natsu and Happy tried to figure out the math of splitting it four ways, Lucy thought up a mental list of lavish ways she could spend her share. Lisanna was the first to break free of the money's allure, returning to her senses after visions of opening a petting zoo.

"How come you've raised the reward by so much?"

Kaby sighed, turning his head in shame. "Because, this mission has proven to be much more treacherous than I originally believed. The first team of wizards that accepted the job... they were killed in their attempt to break into Everlue's residence." He let the information sink in, the euphoria disappearing from their visages instantly. "I assured them it wasn't going to be a difficult job, so they must not have been expecting whatever resistance they were met with. Unfortunately, the two never made it back from the mansion, and even worse still, Everlue was able to cover up their deaths. He has this town's Knights Unit under his influence, paying them off to look the other way whenever he commits a crime."

"That's horrible," Lucy gasped. "He really went that far?"

"I understand if you don't want to proceed with the mission," Kaby said, gripping his hands together. "It would mean the world to me to see _Daybreak_ burn, but I won't have the cost be your lives."

Natsu, Happy, Lisanna, and Lucy all looked at one another. The hardened expressions among them collectively signified they weren't going to stand by and let that man get away without consequences. They were all in.

**- 0 -**

"Just like we rehearsed," Happy instructed as he and Natsu took their places behind a wide tree trunk. "Remember, Lisanna, a little more energy. And Lucy, don't go over-the-top, okay? It's creepy."

Lucy frowned at the cat as she and Lisanna approached Duke Everlue's front gate. Before arriving, they had gone over the details of their plan. Natsu argued against the girls first trying to charm their way inside, saying the man deserved nothing less than them blitzing the gates and taking the whole mansion down, _Daybreak _along with it. He was eventually but begrudgingly persuaded to see their way, once Lucy and Lisanna, confident in their wiles, agreed to his method if theirs somehow failed.

Natsu and Happy flashed them a thumbs-up from their vantage point, the sign that they were in position in case Everlue tried anything funny.

"Excuse me!" Lucy called out cheerfully. "We heard that the honorable Duke Everlue was looking to hire a new maid! We've come to apply for the position!"

A moment passed without a response. The girls, who had used make-up to hide their guild marks from giving them away, turned to each other with confusion. Before they could try to get his attention again, they felt a strange rumbling underneath their feet. They jumped out of the way in time to avoid the large, rotund figure that burst through the ground, and landed with a crash before them.

"You've come looking to join the services of Master Everlue?" the scowling pink-haired woman in a maid's uniform asked of them, her deep voice lacking any sort of distinct feminine cues.

"That's right," Lucy answered, trying to remain steady under the shadow of the giant maid. "My friend and I have been looking for a job together, and when we saw his ad in the paper, we agreed we could share the pay if the Duke was kind enough to hire us both."

The ground began to shake once more, and a second shorter but just as round person sprang from beneath the cobblestone path. "An intriguing proposition you ladies have for me," the man, presumably Everlue, said, twiddling his handlebar mustache with an atrocious grin as he sized the mages up. "Now, let's see here..."

"We hope to fit your needs, Master Everlue," Lisanna said, forcing a smile as she and Lucy fought to keep from wilting under his eyes. The man's stare sent shivers down their spines, and was so disturbing she was positive Natsu and Happy could spot it from behind their tree. If the cat had thought their new guildmate was creepy, his definition was sure to be redefined by the politician.

After rubbing his chin thoughtfully for what seemed like an eternity, at last Everlue turned away from them. They didn't expect he would give them his back in utter dismissal, however. "No, you just won't do at all. Now get off my property."

The girls were visibly shocked at the refusal. Not over the failure of their plan, but over wounded ego.

"A man of my standing can only be seen surrounded with the most beautiful servants in the land," he explained with a condescending grin as a row of four, aesthetically-deficient maids popped up from the ground behind him. "It would be an intolerable shame to be associated with such _ugly_ help."

It felt as if each word was a mountain of bricks falling onto them, as even the Duke's maids hurled insults at the girls. Completely disheartened, they sulked off as the laughs of Everlue and his help faded behind them, but retained their cruel power as they repeated in their heads.

"What happened?" Natsu asked as they regrouped amidst the shrub, away from the mayor's eyes.

"That jerk called us ugly! Can you believe it?" Lucy raged as a despondent Lisanna leaned against a tree. "No one else in the world would think to turn down two beauties like us! He's totally warped!"

"The world's a big place, Lucy," Happy said.

"Shut up!"

Natsu smirked, embers flickering from his grin as he balled his fists. "Well, I guess this means that Plan Take 'Em by Storm is going into effect!"

Lisanna hadn't been as vocal about her pride as a cute girl being damaged, but it was evident that she been hurt by the comments nevertheless. However, the dangerous glee in Natsu's eyes as they were to implement his methods restored her smile. Releasing the spell on her hair that kept it blonde, she wiped away the skin-colored make-up on her guild mark with her other sleeve. "He's left us with no other choice," she said, not sounding opposed in the slightest as before.

"He killed a team of wizards, covered up their deaths, and called us ugly!" Lucy listed as she uncovered her own mark by rubbing her hand across her apron. "What he's done is completely unforgivable! He's goin' down!"

The three others cheered in unison. unaware of the floating surveillance lacrima floating atop the branches above them. On the other end of the lacrima, Everlue watched them as they declared their intentions, his grin almost too big for his face as he stroked his mustache.

"Looks like another group of wizards have decided to pay us a visit," he said, focusing on the visible guild stamps on the human mages. "And they're from Fairy Tail. I've heard they're supposed to be quite a handful. Do you think they'll be a problem for you?"

The pair of tall men behind him smirked in response. "It doesn't matter what guild they're from," the first one, the shorter, slimmer of the two, replied.

"They all vanish just the same," the second, the bigger, bulkier one, followed up.

Everlue let out a wicked cackle, filling the dark room with the screeching sound. Those fairies thought they could pull one over on him, and he was going to greatly enjoy their frightened looks of regret as they realized just how wrong they were to try to cross him.

* * *

_Like the Macao arc before it, the Daybreak arc won't be a great divergence from what we know it as originally. It'll follow the same general path, but there will be a few more differences this time around, Lisanna being the key one again._

_As you can probably guess by now, I'm a fervent Natsu/Lisanna shipper. The whole idea for my story was based around that concept, but it's not what this is about. Yes, it will be brought up, but it's not what we're here for. This is Lucy's story. I know some of you guys'll be upset that it doesn't have the relationship you look forward to, and I sympathize, but with so much to the Fairy Tail world, I want more than we've been given. So, if you're a fan of Natsu/Lucy and you're continuing with me knowing it's not here, then I do thank you. Being able to bring in the outsiders is a big win._

_All that said, whatever your favorite pairing might be, I wanna thank you guys for the readership. Reviews are always accepted and appreciated, of course, and I hope to see you at the next chapter!_


	4. Daybreak Arc - Part 2

_And now, for the conclusion of the Daybreak arc. Just a little more exposition and plot, and then we turn to the first major fight scenes of Another Imagining! Take it all in, and enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 4  
****- Groundswell -**

"I don't think you really get the spirit of Plan Take 'Em by Storm," Natsu grumbled as he melted a hole through the attic window. Deciding that the roof of the mansion was their best bet for breaking in, Happy had flown him and Lucy up to the roof, while Lisanna had used her magic to turn into a dove and fly up herself.

"If we wanna bring him to justice, we're gonna need some hard proof to incriminate him," Lucy began. "If we trash the whole place, we won't just take out _Daybreak _along with it, but also any evidence we could use to put him away. This way, we can sneak in, grab the book, and find something to expose his crimes, something that the Knights Unit won't be able to sweep under the rug."

"I know the guy deserves to get locked up for what he's done, but let's not forget why we're here in the first place. Our mission is to find and destroy a book," Natsu reminded her, sounding almost chiding. "If we come across any evidence while we're searching for it, great, but we're not gonna go out of our way to look for some. We signed up for a job, so that's our priority right now."

"We can't just let him get away with killing those wizards!" Lucy protested, turning to Lisanna for back-up.

"That's not what he's saying," she replied. "We all feel the same as you do, but as Fairy Tail wizards, we have an obligation to our client, first and foremost. Once we've found the book, we'll take it back to Mr. Melon so he can burn it himself. After that, we'll come back here and see to it that Everlue gets what he deserves."

"Aye!" Happy piped up. Natsu smiled in accordance with Lisanna's words, and Lucy then understood. She had made a promise to Kaby Melon, and as she'd said, her word was her bond. The job took precedence, but that didn't have to mean that Everlue was off the hook.

They ducked inside through the burned window pane, the attic floor slick with a coat of dust. They split up momentarily to look around the room, just in case the book they needed had been stored up there, but no such luck.

"You guys find anything?" Lucy asked as they regrouped near the door.

Happy jumped out from behind a shelf with what could've been called a roar, wearing a rubber human skull over his head. "Just this cool mask," he said as the startled blonde girl recovered from the scare against the wall.

"Totally cool," Natsu commended with a grin.

After Lisanna reprimanded the cat for potentially tipping off Everlue or his servants with the prank, they sneaked out of the attic, and again dispersed to cover more ground. They carefully checked every door in the wing, but didn't find any sort of reading material whatsoever.

"This place is huge," Happy said as they met up again at the staircase. "I think we need a better plan than just looking into every room."

"I say we force Everlue into talking," Natsu suggested. "Let's take a hostage or something."

"We're not taking any hostages," Lisanna quickly put an end to the idea. She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then spoke up again. "When I was flying up to the roof, I noticed a room on the first floor that I thought was an office. I didn't have a great view from my angle, so all I saw in that room was a desk. Now that I think about it some more, it's possible it could've been a library."

Lucy almost mentioned that she also had a library on the first floor, but caught herself at the last second. Unfortunately, the ground began to shake once more, and she knew that the whole team had been caught.

The four maids that had mocked her and Lisanna before launched from the floor, long pikes in their hands that they wielded menacingly. "Intruder alert! Virgo!" they shouted as they charged at the wizards.

"Raaawr!" Happy jumped to the front, still wearing the skull mask. The maids dropped their weapons and began to run in the opposite direction, screaming something about getting away from the tiny blue monster.

The excitement didn't end there, as the giant lead maid with the pink pigtails erupted from behind them. With a growl, she lunged at the four, and seemingly pancaked Natsu into the ground. Lucy gasped, but Lisanna and Happy didn't seemed very phased. They didn't look very surprised, either, when Natsu pressed the giant figure off of himself, unlike the maid. This left her prone, and she caught a flaming kick for her troubles, sending her through the wall.

"Let's check out the first floor, then!" he grinned as he hopped the guardrail. Lisanna followed his lead, her agility on display as she landed gracefully next to the boy. Lucy, knowing the disastrous results if she attempted the two-story jump, instead caught a ride with Happy.

The set of double doors to their left immediately grabbed their attention. The next closest entrance was on the other side of the wall, suggesting it was a very large room. Lisanna confirmed that it was the room she glimpsed into if her bearings were correct. She and Natsu pulled the doors open, and were astounded at the vast amassing of books along the curving walls, the shelves stacked all the way to the ceiling.

"I never would've guessed Everlue was so into books," Lucy said, unable to help a small grin on her face as she gazed upon the rows of literature. The library she'd had at home was nothing to scoff at, but this selection was in a class of its own.

"There's gotta be a million books in here! How're we supposed to find the one we need?" Natsu demanded hysterically as he grabbed at his hair. From the look in his eyes, it was clear he was struggling against what he thought was the best answer, setting the whole room ablaze.

"Alphabetical order?" Happy suggested.

"They don't seem to be in any particular order," Lisanna noted as she and Lucy began sweeping through the shelves. There was no pattern as to how they were categorized, either by title or author's name. Not even by genre, they discovered as they read across the spines.

"What's the book called again?" Natsu asked after composing himself, beginning to study the walls.

"_Daybreak_," Lucy answered quickly. It had momentarily slipped her mind that they had encountered Everlue's help earlier. He was sure to know of their presence by now, meaning they were in a big time crunch if they wanted to avoid any further complications.

Natsu peered out into his section of the library for another second, before turning around and walking over to Lucy's. He reached up to the shelf above her head, near the corner she hadn't gotten to yet, and plucked out a thick yellow hardback book. He held up to her with a raised eyebrow, as Happy and Lisanna turned over to them. "This is it, right?"

Indeed, _Daybreak _was printed across the top of the cover in bold capital letters, above a rectangular picture of the rising sun. "Yeah!" she said with a big grin, greedily swiping it from his hands as if it contained her share of the 2 million Jewel within its pages. "How'd you know where to find it?"

He only shrugged in response, but his best friends lauded his accomplishment.

"So that's what you wizards were after this entire time!" a cackling voice was heard, underneath them, of all places. Duke Everlue drilled his way through the library floor, appearing with a sneer. "You came out all this way, just to steal a book that isn't even worth being compared to garbage?"

"What?" Lucy asked, speaking up for her team's confusion. They had expected Everlue to be upset over the theft, but not to slam the book at the same time. It was only then that the girl noticed who the author of the story was, spotting his name below the sun. "This was written by Kemu Zaleon? He was an amazing novelist! How could any of his works be called worse than garbage? I've gotta read it!"

She cracked open the cover, surprising her friends, but infuriating Everlue. "Get your grubby little hands off of my possession! No matter how pathetic an attempt at an epic it is, _Daybreak _belongs to me!" he snapped.

"This isn't really a great time for that, you know," Happy said pointedly to the blonde.

"Hold on a sec," Lucy said, frowning as she skimmed over the first page, "This is too strange... Guys! I think there's a secret hidden in this book!"

"A secret?" the rest of the room asked, the Duke included.

Everlue's eyes narrowed at the thought. Could the girl be bluffing? Or was there really something more to _Daybreak_ than just the waste of paper he thought of it as? "Vanish Brothers!" he bellowed out. The bookshelves along the right wall jutted out and slid apart, revealing a dark passageway, occupied by two tall men with an air of danger around them. The larger of them scowled down at them from under a headband, while the smaller clutched a giant frying pan behind his back. In one quick movement, they went from the opening in the wall, to the side of their employer. "Retrieve that book! And hold nothing back!"

"That emblem... they're mercenaries from the Southern Wolves guild!" Happy realized, catching the insignia on their sleeves. "They must be the ones that killed the other wizards for Everlue!"

Panic shook up Lucy, but her resolve didn't waver. "Guys! If you could please buy me some time with this book, I think I can figure out what Kemu Zaleon was really trying to say!"

Natsu smirked at the pair of hitmen, cracking his knuckles invitingly. "You three get out of here. With the 2 million Jewel we're getting for that thing, I'll buy you all the time you need."

"You mean to take us on by yourself?" the shorter one inquired, looking somewhat impressed by the declaration.

"You're a cocky little punk, aren't ya?" the taller one said, rolling his shoulders in preparation for combat.

"Are you sure about this?" Lisanna asked as Lucy started for the side door. Natsu didn't take his eyes off the enemies, but nodded his head with a low chuckle in reply. She followed Lucy and Happy out of the library, having full confidence that he'd be able to take care of himself against Everlue's assassins. They cut through the adjacent room and back into the main hall, pausing as there was no one around. "How do you know there's a secret in the book?" she asked, staying alert as she remained aware of the propensity of the mansion's inhabitants to appear from the ground.

"The author, Kemu Zaleon, was a wizard as talented at magic as he was at writing," Lucy explained, holding the book close to her. "I thought I'd read all of his books, so this must be a one-of-a-kind, unpublished novel. But when I looked at the first page, the diction he used, the sentence structuring, it was basically semi-coherent word salad; nothing at all like his previous works. Kaby never did tell us why he wanted this book destroyed, but if he's willing to pay so much for it, I figured there must be a message somewhere in that jumbled mess that he doesn't want anyone to discover!"

"Can you figure it out?" Happy asked.

Lucy smiled as she pulled on a pair of glasses, with wing-like extensions decorating the corners of the red frames. "With these Gale-Force Reading Glasses, it should only take a few minutes!"

"Unfortunately, that's all the time you have left in this world!" a familiar high-pitched voiced sounded out. Everlue popped out from the middle of the room, but he wasn't alone. His head maid, the giant with pink hair, was right behind him. The mayor pointed at the girls and Happy, grinning madly. "Now, Virgo! Take care of them and get me back my book! I have to know of its secret for myself!"

"Master!" the maid acknowledged in her booming tone, preparing to launch forward.

"Lucy! I'll hold her off! Get to somewhere safe and decode that message! Destroy it when you're done!" Lisanna commanded, moving in front of her friend. "Happy, go with her. Make sure nothing happens to her, alright?"

"Aye!" Happy said, ushering Lucy away before she could ask whether Lisanna would be alright, facing off against the oversized servant on her own.

They slipped through the nearest foreign door, just as the white-haired girl began to glow with her Take Over Magic. It was a dark, cramped supply closet filled with brooms, mops, and other cleaning supplies, as well as the lances they had seen Everlue's help carrying before. As Lucy was about to suggest trying another room, Happy pushed aside some of the weapons, uncovering an old door that had been obscured in the dim light. Opening it, it revealed a descending staircase, leading into an even blacker unknown.

Lucy pushed through her nerves, and carefully made her way down as Happy hopped from step to step. A noxious smell assaulted their senses, growing stronger as they continued on. When they reached the bottom, they found the source of the stench as they came to a stop at a sewer bank, the water flowing a murky brown in front of them.

She leaned against the wall beside the stairs and opened _Daybreak_ again, activating her glasses. Their magic illuminated the pages as they flipped towards the back cover at an amazing speed, her eyes widening at the revelation secreted away. "This is incredible," she exhaled, her heart racing at the truth of the book.

A loud clang rang suddenly throughout the underground, and a pair of hands grabbed at Lucy's wrists. Caught in the vicegrips, the hands cuffed her arms behind her back, causing _Daybreak _to fall with a flat thud. Everlue's triumphant snickering sent despair throughout Lucy's body, as she felt his stuffy breathing on the back of her neck. "Care to share what you've learned of my book?" he asked, his tone as vile as the waters of the sewer.

**- 0 -**

Natsu grinned at the mercenaries from across the library, excited flames enveloping his entire being before quieting down to simply around his fists. After having restrained himself in his last battle to protect Macao from the Vulcan's Take Over, he intended to have fun going all out on the pair of enemies.

"If your friends were any good in a fight, maybe you should've had them stick around," the first Vanish Brother, the one with the pan, said confidently as he crouched into a fighting stance.

"A Fire Wizard like you won't be able to even touch us," the second followed up with heavy condescension.

This is only served to throw kindle into the fire in Natsu's belly. "Oh yeah?" he asked, waving them forward with his hand. "If you're so sure about that, then bring it on!"

The first brother again moved at the high speeds they'd displayed before. As Natsu tracked him across the room, he suddenly felt a powerful kick collide against his side, sending him flying through the library's window. He rolled through the impact against the grassy lawn, shards of glass falling from his skin and clothes as he regained a vertical base.

The second brother stayed on the offensive, again throwing himself at Natsu, but this time he sidestepped his spinning kick. The first then correctly tailed his dodge, and was able to score another blow, striking him in the abdomen with the butt of his pan.

"Do you know why we're so successful against wizards?" the second asked from beneath his headband, looking down at Natsu as he stood again, slower this time. "Because where you're weak, we're the strongest."

"Wizards spend all their time training with magic, so they neglect to build up their bodies," the first continued, twirling his pan. "For all your magical abilities, your frail bones shatter easily against mercenaries, specimens in peak physical condition. You might as well be sheep, compared to wolves like us."

Natsu smirked, his quiet laugh enabling the second's rage. "What's so funny?" he demanded. His brother held up an arm to keep him from acting rashly.

"How wrong you guys are," Natsu answered with a fanged grin as his hair hung over his eyes, giving him a menacing look. "I get hit harder than that on a regular basis back at the guild. In Fairy Tail, we all push each other to be the strongest we can be, and that includes both magically _and_ physically. So if that was the best you could do, then I'll tell you right now, you wouldn't stand a chance against any member from my guild."

The second brother snarled, unbound as the first lowered his arm. "I've had enough of your crap! Combo attack!"

The smaller brother held out his pan directly in front of him, setting it up as a catapult for the larger. "Heaven and Earth Annihilation!" they exclaimed in unison. The first of the two launched his brother high into the air, the tree leaves shrouding him from Natsu's sight.

"Gaze up at heaven, and it's the earth's assault!" the smaller shouted as he swiped at Natsu with his pan. The mage had braced himself for an attack, but not against the brother on the ground.

"Keep your eyes on the earth, and heaven strikes from above!" the second said as he crashed through the branches with a meteor-like kick on the distracted Natsu.

As the dust and dirt billowed about, the Vanish Brothers stood together, smirking with grandeur at their mission accomplished. However, their grins disappeared when a dark outline appeared through the fading cloud, standing completely straight.

"That wasn't bad at all," Natsu said as the air cleared fully, revealing his pugnacious smile, "but that was your one shot to do some real damage. You didn't." He sucked in a lungful of air, then with a mighty cry, let loose a jet of flames from his mouth. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The Vanish Brothers' faces lit up once more. The wizard had played right into their hands. "Let me show you just why Fire Magic is useless against us!" the smaller one said, shielding himself and his brother with his oversized pan. "Flame Cooking!"

Natsu's breath attack was blocked by the pan, leaving behind a smoldering mark where it had struck. The brother then twirled his weapon about, brandishing the head of the pan behind his back, facing towards Natsu. "While we don't use magic ourselves, this pan is enchanted to absorb any elemental spells, and reflect it right back at you with twice the force!" True to his words, the pan shot back a huge fireball at Natsu, striking him to create a great explosion.

Once again, Natsu enjoyed the look of victory turn into one of shock on the brothers' faces when he ate up all the fire surrounding him, even vacuuming up flames on the outer perimeter of the crater that had begun to burn at the trees. "Twice as strong, huh? You weren't kidding," he said as he wiped his chin, his gleaming eyes turning reptilian-like. "Now let's try this one more time! Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The infernal torrent erupted from his mouth again, with his pair of enemies lifting the pan in the way of his attack. It took only seconds before the pan began to glow white-hot as Natsu's flames blazed through its enchantment, unable to contain the searing temperatures thanks to the massive magical boost they had inadvertently injected into him. Overwhelmed by the sheer power, an even bigger explosion rocked around the Vanish Brothers. When the black smoke cleared, Natsu saw them a charred mess, and the whole side of the mansion gone, incinerated from the foundation to the rooftop.

"Sorry, Gramps," Natsu said, rubbing the back of his neck at the property damage. "You'll probably be getting a letter about this."

**- 0 -**

"Penguin Soul!" Lisanna shouted as Happy and Lucy disappeared into a door at the end of the hall. She grew to match the size of Virgo, becoming the mother penguin to the baby form she had used the day before at Mt. Hakobe.

Virgo jumped at the wizard, lowering her shoulder for a frenzied tackle. Lisanna, with considerable agility in the form, was able to evade the charge, and strike back with a kick of her great webbed feet. Virgo tried to dodge, but caught a glancing blow across her upper arm. She hopped back to create distance, then began to sink into the ground with her Diver Magic.

Seconds passed, with Lisanna steadily pivoting in place, trying to anticipate where she would reemerge from. Unfortunately, the penguin's senses left her unable to predict where the attack would be coming from. She turned away from it just a moment too soon, and was struck with a hammer-like club across her back. She was sent stumbling forward, but her momentum was halted when she felt a pair of chains wrap around her flippers.

Virgo flew over her, twisting in the air to face her. The shackles around her wrists had extended their chains to hold Lisanna in place, the metal links rattling as she ran towards her again. As she picked up speed, Lisanna had the quick of mind to shift into another Take Over.

"Grizzly Soul!" she cried, shrinking back to her human form in a Partial spell. She was freed from the chains as they collapsed around her smaller figure, which was now covered by a mint-green sports top and matching short shorts. Jagged black streaks went up the sides of her new outfit, while brown fur sprouted from her ankles and forearms. Claws like daggers tipped her pawed hands and feet, and her newly round ears poked out of her white hair.

She stood her ground against Virgo's collision, then pushed her back with such force, she went crashing into the gigantic golden stature of Everlue that the staircase spiraled around. As the maid began to wearily climb out of the rubble, she noticed through her blurry sight that the girl's body had become much more muscularly defined.

"I might be smaller than I was earlier, but this is the strongest Take Over I've got," Lisanna said with a smile, omitting the fact that the form's brute strength came without much of an increase in speed. "My Grizzly's senses will also let me hear and smell you wherever you might dig around, so you won't be able to overpower me, and you won't be able to sneak up on me again. Wanna call it quits?"

"I was tasked with defeating you. I must fulfill my duties to Master Everlue," she said stiffly, as if she had no choice in the matter.

"Why do you even serve a despicable man like him, anyway?" Lisanna inquired, trying to reason with her enemy. "I can tell you're not like him, so why hang around?"

Virgo brushed away the dirt on her maid's apron. She had gotten back on her feet, but it was evident that Lisanna's toss, as well as the fire-enhanced kick from Natsu earlier, had taken a toll on her. "He possesses my key. I am contracted to him," she replied, again empty of feeling.

Key? Contract? Those were words that Lucy used when she was talking about her brand of magic earlier. And if Lisanna remembered correctly about what she'd read on the Golden Keys, they were named after the zodiac constellations...

"It all makes sense now. You're a Celestial Spirit, aren't you?" she asked. A thought occurred to her, casting a fanged smile on her face. "You deserve someone kind to be your master, and I know just the person. What would it take to break your contract with Everlue?"

"A kind master?" Virgo asked, her face showing hints of intrigue and hope. "If Everlue were to be incarcerated, his magic would be nullified by the authorities. That would extend to our contract, making it null and void." She then squared her shoulders, positioning herself to attack again. "But so long as our agreement is in place, I am still obligated to follow his wishes."

Virgo then pounded the floor with both hands, causing sharp rock protrusions to spike up in a rapid line towards Lisanna. The Take Over mage countered with a similar maneuver, striking the ground herself just before Virgo's attack reached her. The impact of her blow created a crescent trench to stop the protrusions, and Lisanna took off, running towards her opponent with claws bared.

The maid rocketed her chains at the girl, trying to restrain her once more. Lisanna, not fast enough in her Grizzly form to evade them, instead borrowed a page from her brother's playbook. She stuck out her left arm, allowing it to be wrapped up by both sets of chains. With her right paw, she slashed through her steel binds, sending the broken links flying. With a cry, she jumped up to meet the surprised Virgo, and landed a powerful closed strike to her temple.

The mansion shook as Virgo soared into the far wall. Sure of the fact that she wouldn't be getting up again, Lisanna reverted back to her normal self, panting as she surveyed the damage. "I'm really sorry about that," she smiled apologetically. "I promise, you'll never be hurt again because of Everlue."

A powerful explosion behind her caused her to shield the back of her head. Slowly, she turned around, and saw that the whole wall had been torched, allowing a smoky view of the outside. Recognizing the culprit's handiwork, she smiled, and waited as Natsu stepped through the flames to join her in finding Lucy.

**- 0 -**

"_Daybreak _is mine! Any secrets it contains were meant for me!" Everlue said, tightening his grip on Lucy's wrists. "If you won't tell me what it is, then you'll leave me with no choice but to force it out of you!"

"Just like you forced Kemu Zaleon to write this book for you?" Lucy spat back, trying to keep the strain from showing in her voice. "I know you blackmailed and imprisoned him, you monster!"

"Monster?!" Everlue snarled in shock. His grasp constricted so much that Lucy was sure her wrists would break, but before they reached that point, she suddenly felt herself freed.

Happy barreled into Everlue with a kick to the face, causing him to release the girl. In a quick motion, she snatched up the book off the ground, just as Happy swooped her up and carried her some yards away. She gave him a nod of thanks, as he repeated the motion with a smile. Everlue growled at the both of them.

"How did you discover that information?" he demanded in a low voice, holding his left cheek, where Happy had struck him. "There's no way you should be able to know that. Is that the secret hidden within my book? Did Zaleon mean to expose me?"

Lucy smirked at him, alternating which hand held _Daybreak_ as she consoled her throbbing wrists. "Wouldn't you like to know," she stated ambiguously.

Everlue slowly began to sink into the ground again, keeping his eyes fixed on the girl all the while. "I warned you," he said ominously as he disappeared fully.

"For three years you had one of the most talented writers of his time locked up, forcing him to write a story where you were the main character!" Lucy accused as she and Happy anxiously waited for him to make his move. "You had Zaleon narrate you as some sort of hero, even as you taunted him from outside his cell with threats against his family!"

"It was an honor for him to get to use me as inspiration for a book!" Everlue cried wildly, his voice clear coming up through the tunnel, and echoing around the sewer. "Any other writer would've been overjoyed at the chance, but he had the audacity to refuse my offer! I was merely prompting him to see the errors in his judgment!"

Before Lucy could reply, he sprang up from beneath her. Happy was barely able to pull her away in time, but Everlue soared up into the ceiling, swimming into its concrete as easily as he did the floor's. A moment later, he drilled through the wall and torpedoed towards the duo again, but she was able to roll out of the way. His onslaught continued, without success, for another handful of attempts, but he stopped to look upon Lucy's tired expression with a grin.

"But those are the kind of details that are better left underground," he said, resuming his dark composure as he began to walk towards her. "Six feet under."

"So you're gonna try to kill us, just like you killed those other wizards before us?" Lucy asked, rooted to her spot partly in fear, partly in determination.

The short man chuckled. "I don't intend on merely trying. Even if your friends somehow managed to survive against Virgo and the Vanish Brothers, I am more than capable of getting my own hands dirty. After all, I have the most beautiful staff in the world to clean up after me, and the knights of this town are quite an agreeable bunch of trash collectors."

"Not that I think humans are especially smart-looking, but you're even dumber than I thought," Happy said with a big smile. "And that can go on the record, too, Lucy."

That froze Everlue in his tracks. "What are you talking about?" he demanded as the color drained from his face.

Lucy, with an all-knowing smirk, reached behind her and pulled out a shiny lacrima orb that fit comfortably in her hand. It began to glow as Everlue's voice filled the tunnel, but not from the man's grimacing lips. _"But those are the kind of details that are better left underground. Six feet under."_

"Our little buddy here sure carries some interesting things in that pack of his," she said, sharing a triumphant smirk with Happy, "like this recording lacrima, for one. He passed it off to me just before you made it down here. Now, I wonder what the Magic Council would think if they heard our whole conversation?"

Everlue's eyes were almost popping out of their sockets, his veins bulging through his neck and forehead. "I'm going to tear your arms off and take my book and that lacrima!" he screamed, flying off the rails. He began to spiral his way through the ground once more, creating a powerful rumble beneath Lucy's feet.

The girl only smiled, having the politician right where she wanted him. She just needed one final push to really send him over the edge.

"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" she said as she unhooked one of her Golden Keys, and pointed it up towards the ceiling. In a series of flashing lights, a tall, slender man with stylish glasses and six crab legs sticking out of his back appeared, snipping a pair of crustacean-themed scissors in each hand.

"Is it time for a haircut, baby?" he asked in a smooth, jazzy voice.

"You have a giant crab spirit?" Happy cried as he began to drool. "Lucy, you are so totally cool."

"Yeah, I know," she replied with a hint of smugness, then turned to her spirit. "Cancer, there's actually someone else who needs a bit of a trim. I'm thinking a zero would fit him perfectly."

"You got it, baby."

Everlue shot out of the ground, looking as deranged as ever as he flew towards Lucy. However, Cancer intercepted his attack, and the sound of metal sliding against each other rapidly was heard throughout the sewer. Everlue dropped to the ground in shock, just as his hair and mustache poofed off his head and upper lip.

"What have you done?" he asked as he felt the bare patches of skin with trembling hands, his gaze empty. He staggered over to the edge of the canal, using his reflection to witness for himself what had Happy barely able to contain his giggling. "What have you done?!" he repeated in hysteria. "What have you done?! What have you done?!"

"I've won, that's what!" Lucy said, grabbing the whip she carried on her belt. She slung it at the catatonic Everlue, wrapping him from his ankles, all the way up to his newly-bald head. Unable to do anything but continue to sob his question, Lucy flung him with all her strength into the wall that he normally would've submerged into like water. She and Happy approached his unconscious body as the dust began to clear, finding him with his crazed expression made even creepier with his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Hey!" they heard a young man shout behind them. Natsu and Lisanna appeared at the foot of the stairs, then jogged up to them as they saw the tied-up Everlue without his hair, his unresponsive face stuck in a mask of pure horror. "Whoa! What did you do to this guy, Lucy?" he asked with approving curiosity, as Lisanna looked perturbed over his shoulder.

"Any man who thinks I'm ugly has to be bordering on insanity," she stated darkly, but quickly reverted back to her usual cheery self. "When I discovered the true story within _Daybreak_, I understood just how unhinged Everlue really was. I simply took from him the stability of his safety net by getting him to confess to his crimes and recording it for the Magic Council... and embarrassing him by cutting off all his hair."

"Great job," Lisanna commended with a smile.

"I had help," Lucy responded humbly, motioning to the cat and the crab-man. "I couldn't have done it without these guys."

"She really couldn't have," Happy said with a paw raised, happy to take the credit.

"Anytime, baby," Cancer responded with a nod, clicking away with his scissors before disappearing back into the Celestial World.

"Alright, then," Natsu smirked in ultimate victory, holding up the book he'd grabbed from Lucy. "Let's go take this back to Kaby!"

**- 0 -**

As they exited the Everlue mansion, Lucy was astonished to see half of the building burned away. Her awe tripled when what remained of the once-great household collapsed in implosion, thanks to the tunnels Everlue had dug up sinking in on themselves, and aided by all the structural damage caused by the fighting. The commotion had been heard all over town, drawing both concerned citizens and the Knights Unit alike to the front gates.

When the authorities began to question what had happened, Lucy played Everlue's admission from her lacrima for all the crowd to hear. Before it got to the part where the authorities were incriminated as accomplices, a lone knight with a distinct scar pattern on the left side of his face stepped in and assured her quietly that he was actually an undercover Rune Knight investigating Everlue's activities. When he proved it with his tattoo insignia, the Fairy Tail wizards turned over both the lacrima and the tied-up mayor to only him, leaving the bald man's and the corrupt officials' fates in the hands of the Magic Council.

And_ Daybreak_ hadn't been the only item Lucy acquired from Everlue. As they had dragged him up from the basement, Lisanna had revealed to her the truth of his head maid. Searching through his coat pockets, she indeed found Virgo's Golden Key, and added it to her ringed collection, promising to care for her and treat her with the respect that her depraved former master had neglected to show.

When the team made it back to Kaby's mansion, they took the same spots on the living room furniture as before, _Daybreak _set upon the coffee table in between.

"I can't express how much it gladdens me that this book is out of Everlue's possession. I also appreciate the fact that you brought it to me, so I could personally rid the world of it myself," the client said with a thankful smile shared with his wife. He began to reach for the novel, but Lucy picked it up first.

"Just one second, Kaby," she said, pulling it back towards her. "You never did tell us why you needed this book destroyed so badly. If you don't mind, we'd like to hear your reasons as to why you want to get rid of the last thing Kemu Zaleon ever wrote - or should I say, Zekua Melon, your father."

Kaby was shocked that Lucy knew, as it was not widely known that 'Kemu Zaleon' was merely a pen name. With a pained sigh, he began his explanation. "Thirty-one years ago, my father returned home after a three-year absence as a shell of the man he once was. The first thing he did after stumbling through the door was vow to never write again, and cut off his right arm."

The Fairy Tail wizards gasped as the thought was displayed in their minds.

"He never made a full recovery, as he passed away shortly after. Before that, he told me with an oddly peaceful smile that the book he had written for Duke Everlue had been rubbish. Even after I'd warned him not to work for that wretched man, he was unable to resist the lure of the money Everlue had presented. He was gone for the next three years, working on a novel that that been the low point of his abilities. I berated him for selling out his family and pride as a writer, saying things I would eventually come to regret. I knew that I could never take back those harsh words, but I thought that if I destroyed the book that had caused him so much suffering, then his legacy would be preserved, and his honor restored."

"So, you're not aware of the secret inside _Daybreak_?" Lucy asked.

"What secret?"

The blonde girl held the book out to him. As soon as it was in Kaby's hands, it began to glow, filling the room a blinding light. As their vision grew accustomed to the vibrancy, they were able to make out links of words pouring out from the book, creating a spectacle for the six people.

"_Daybreak_, the book that Kemu Zaleon wrote for Duke Everlue, might've been a horrible piece of literature, but the story that Zekua Melon hid inside it with a spell is undoubtedly the signature masterpiece that every novelist hopes to someday tell," Lucy said.

As she spoke, the letters of the title lifted off the cover, then rearranged themselves to reveal its true name: _Dear Kaby_.

"Your father loved you very much, Kaby. That's what that book is truly about, a father's love of his son, as all the words were scattered out of place to form more or less the tale Everlue wanted. He didn't stop writing due to shame; it was because he would never be able to surpass the story he left for you. I'm sorry that it took so long for it to get to its true owner, but now that words are in the right order, we hope that you'll enjoy reading it."

"Thank you so much," Kaby said, holding the book to his chest as tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes, his wife tenderly gripping his knee with a gracious smile. "Truly, thank you."

Lucy, Natsu, Lisanna and Happy all smiled at the sight, then shared the smiles within their circle, proud of what they had accomplished on this day.

* * *

_Alright, now that you finished the chapter, you can enjoy my author's notes at the end here. As I said at the top, this is the last time a full arc will be covered in two chapters. I realize the first two installments were quite short in comparison to these two, but that's the nature of writing. I really enjoyed how this adventure all came together, it left me feeling like it's a definitive, satisfying piece of work for me. Hopefully you think so, too._

_We got another one of Lisanna's Partial Take Overs here, this time her Grizzly Soul. I love Lisanna's powers, as I've been a big Animorphs fan for most of my life, so I like getting to pay homage to it through her. If you're familiar with the series, I hope you recognized why I went with the grizzly bear for what I'm deeming Lisanna's physically strongest form. Rachel, that one's for you._

_Now, as far as the rotating cast I promised at the beginning of this fic, so far we've seen just Lucy, Natsu, Lisanna and Happy having all the fun. In canon, the next arc, Lullaby was when the core was expanded with the additions of Gray and Erza. I'll be mirroring the numbers gain, of course, but will it really be those two joining in on the Eisenwald hit squad? You'll just have to stay tuned to find out!_

_As always, I'm really grateful for your readership and for those that take time to leave reviews. Thanks for the ones I got for the first couple of chapters, and a thanks in advance for the ones I'll be getting for this one. You guys totally rock!_


	5. Lullaby Arc - Part 1

_Your anticipation ends here, as I give you the fifth chapter, the beginning of the Lullaby arc. I first wanna say thanks for the feedback, and then I'd like to take a sec to explain a key difference between the real version, and my reimagining of Daybreak._

_In canon, Kaby was offering a lot of money that he didn't actually have, to complete a job that had already gotten some wizards killed. This always bugged me, as they're not exactly marks of a stand-up guy, so I opted to write him more like the gentlemen we're supposed to believe he is. As for Everlue, I played up his corruption and rampant craziness. It wasn't my intention to create a darker atmosphere around the whole arc, but I thought it worked well._

_Anywho, I'll leave you to read on and enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 5  
- The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning -**

When Natsu turned down Kaby's reward of the 2 million Jewel, Lucy tried to fight his decision. Even after he explained that they technically didn't complete the job as initially requested by not destroying _Daybreak_, she argued that Kaby had been more than happy with the results of their work. Lisanna backed the Dragon Slayer by saying it wouldn't be a good reflection on their guild if they accepted the money regardless. Lucy eventually came to see their point, as Happy had included that they had become better people and more experienced wizards from the adventure. He added that at the very least, she came away with knowing one of her favorite authors' greatest story, as well as a new Golden Key. She had gained the most out of them all, something she took solace in, even as she grumbled about her rent money all the way back to Magnolia.

The next morning, Lucy quickly tidied up her apartment as she awaited her guests. Once she finished dusting off her bookcase, she went to her mirror to check up on her appearance. As she gave her hair one last brush-through, a knock was heard at the door. She rushed to open it, but her smile disappeared when she saw no one there.

"Down here, Lucy," Happy said, getting Lucy to angle her line of sight lower. The cat walked in past her boots, and hopped up to take a seat on Lucy's bed. He kicked his feet as he looked around. "Nice place."

"Thanks," Lucy replied heartily, but then her tone grew more serious. "Aren't Lisanna and Natsu coming?"

"They are," Happy assured her. "Natsu still hasn't woken up, so Lisanna's on her way over to our house to get him out of bed. I decided to fly on ahead."

Lucy smiled in relief. "Great," she said. "How come you wanted to come over by yourself? The way you stick to Natsu's side, I didn't think you guys were ever apart if you could help it."

Happy smiled sincerely. "Because I like you," he answered simply.

She was a little surprised at his reply. Up until that point, she didn't think he thought very highly of her, considering most of what he said to her was at best a backhanded compliment. "You can understand why I could probably think otherwise, right?"

"Yeah," he said, inclining his head somewhat. "I just like to play around. It's how I was raised, kinda. Everyone picks on each other at the guild, but it's all in good fun. I know I have a real knack for teasing, but I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way. I really do like you a lot, and not just because you make it so easy for me. I think you're totally awesome."

"Thanks," Lucy said, smiling as she patted him on the head. She snickered mentally, knowing now the cat's game, and that she could play along, as well.

Another rapping at the door meant another of her guests had arrived. This time the door revealed Cana, who held out a decoratively wrapped bottle of wine. "Call it a housewarming gift," she said, grinning as Lucy received it.

"Uh, thanks," she said as she allowed Cana to pass through, "but, I don't drink."

The brunette nodded thoughtfully as she sat down at the table. "I did notice you never order anything at the hall." Lucy offered her to keep the wine to herself, and she agreed with only the slightest bit of hesitation. "So who else is coming to this party?" she wondered as she waved at Happy.

"Natsu and Lisanna should be on their way. I wanted to ask Levy over too, but she didn't return to the guild hall last night," Lucy explained. Upon returning from Shirotsume Town, Lucy spent some more time down at their base to chat with Cana, telling her all about the _Daybreak _job. Just as she did with Lisanna (and later extended to Natsu and Happy), she invited her to come watch as she worked out a contract with her two new Celestial Spirits. She would've liked to have Levy present as well, but she learned that Team Shadow Gear had accepted a mission that would take them out of town for a couple of days.

As Cana turned down a glass of water in favor of twisting off the bottlecap, Lisanna and Natsu appeared at her door. The girl excitedly took in Lucy's cozy housing, while a groggy Natsu plopped onto her bed next to Happy, sitting cross-legged on the mattress. "Alright, let's see how you..." he started before slipping into a yawn.

With Cana and Lisanna looking on from her table, Lucy gave herself the open space left as she activated the Silver Key she had bought back in Hargeon. "Open, Gate of the Little Dog! Come, Nikola!"

A golden orb appeared in front of her, losing its glow after a moment and stretching to take an anthropomorphic form. The end result was a shivering white figure with a large round head and a long, carrot-like nose that hummed nervously but cheerfully.

"He's so cute!" Lucy and Lisanna clamored. Lucy took him into her arms and hugged him tightly, as Lisanna held her hands together in anticipation for her turn. Cana agreed with the sentiment but didn't express it like a schoolgirl, instead admiring the creature with a smile from afar. Natsu and Happy, however, weren't necessarily as impressed.

"Yeah, he's a pretty cute dog and all, but can he fight?" the fire mage pondered.

"That's supposed to be a dog?" Cana asked with a raised eyebrow, but her skepticism went unnoticed.

"Spirits like this aren't used for fighting," Lucy explained as she set him in front of her. "Since they really don't take up much magic power to summon, most wizards simply keep them around as kind of like pets."

"Pets, huh?" Happy repeated with a frown, finding the idea unsavory.

"Now then," Lucy continued, pulling out a small notepad as she addressed her new friend. "Let's work out our contract together. Are you free Mondays?"

As she went through the list, asking the same question for every day of the week, the little white dog nodded or shook his head in response. Once they were finished, Lucy picked him up once again, snuggling her cheek against his, before passing him off so Lisanna could hold him too.

"It's that simple?" Cana asked, trying to keep from sounding envious as the white-haired girl across from her played with the spirits' paws, beaming down at him.

Lucy nodded. "I know it might not seem like a very big deal, but through the contracting process, we establish a deep connection. Celestial Spirits are conscious beings, just like us, so the promise between master and spirit is a sacred one. Now, what should I name him?"

"I thought you said his name was Nikola," Natsu said as he ate a yawn.

"That's his species as a whole," Lucy said as Lisanna set him on the floor, letting him wander back to the blonde. "This little guy needs a name of his own. How about... Plue?"

"It's perfect," Lisanna said with a smile. Cana also gave an approving nod, and Plue responded happily to his new moniker.

"Okay, Plue, I've got another spirit to make a contract with, but I'll be seeing you in a bit," Lucy said, giving him one last hug before sending him back to the Celestial World. She unhooked her latest Golden Key, and spoke the summoning chant. "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"Alright, the giant maid! Now she was really cool!" Natsu cheered, shedding away what remained of his sleepiness.

After another burst of light from the spirit's gate, a pretty, slender young woman in a maid's uniform materialized through the glow, bowing at the waist. "Mistress," she addressed Lucy submissively. "How can I serve you today?"

"Wait just a sec," she said, looking down at her key in confusion. Everyone else but Cana also appeared unsure of what was going on. "Are you really Virgo?"

"I am," the girl replied. Other than being buttoned up in the front, Virgo's outfit remained the same, although her hair was let down from the pigtails they had originally seen her wearing. Her tone remained mostly neutral, but hints of joy could be picked up on as well. "I am very loyal to my master, so I can change my appearance to be more accommodating to their desires. This form is acceptable, yes, Mistress?"

"Actually, I liked you better before. Not that you don't look good now, but the big tough gorilla maid thing was awesome," Natsu cut in. In response, Virgo transformed back into the version that worked for Everlue, taking up most of the available space left in the apartment, bending what little neck she had against the ceiling.

"Ignore him! Go back to the girl!" Lucy said, worried that she might bust the roof of her brand-new house. Virgo shrunk back down, and the two proceeded to sort out the details of their contract together. Her availability included every day but Sunday, at any time of day or night.

"I look forward to serving you, Mistress," Virgo said as she bowed again. "I welcome whatever methods you have for punishing me."

"Why would I would punish you?" Lucy asked, somewhat put off by the inquisition. "Anyway, you don't have to refer to me as 'Mistress', you know."

"What would you prefer to be called? Is 'Princess' suitable?"

"No - actually, yeah, sure. 'Princess' works just fine."

With Virgo's return to the Celestial World, Lucy gave a quick tour of her apartment for the benefit of her late guests. Once she finished up, the five left for the guild hall, with Natsu leading the way, Happy at his side and Lisanna a step behind. Lucy and Cana trailed them a bit farther, allowing them to speak between themselves.

"So you drive a corrupt politician totally insane, and you get yourself a cute maid spirit that calls you 'Princess' and will do anything you ask her to," Cana said with a grin. "Lucy, you're a badass."

The blonde's cheeks flushed as the compliment. "I just wanna be the best wizard I can be. Whether people think of me as a badass doesn't matter."

"And humble, too," Cana winked, wrapping her arm easily around the shorter girl's shoulders. "When we get to the guild, no more of that simply hanging around me or Lisanna's group, alright? It's time you branch out and meet some of the other folks, got it? I know some of the guys would love to have a chance to talk to you."

When they arrived at the hall, Lisanna sat down with her siblings, while Natsu and Happy went to scour the request board for more work. Cana automatically headed to the bar, but left for a table after placing her order. She motioned to Lucy to follow her, as she came to sit at the table occupied solely by Gray. The two old friends greeted one another, as the Celestial Wizard took the spot next to Cana.

"So you're Lucy, huh?" Gray asked, swirling the ice in his drink. His tone was passive, and his eyes didn't help in determining his thoughts, but he did offer a small smile.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling politely. To be honest, she wasn't sure what to make of the dark-haired boy. The very first thing he did when she first saw him was pick a fight with Natsu, just as soon as they'd walked through the doors. Then there was that stripping tendency of his, but according to Cana, there was a valid reason for that. If it wasn't for the brunette speaking so highly of him, Lucy might not have had a very good impression of him.

"I'd say welcome to Fairy Tail, but from what I've heard, you've already made yourself at home with this madhouse," Gray said. Cana's platter of drinks arrived, and he toasted with her before downing the liquid in his glass. Turning back to Lucy, he continued, "If you want some advice, I'd recommend against spending a lot of time with Natsu."

"Why's that?" she asked. Natsu might be a pretty weird guy (supported by the fact that he thought _she _was the weird one), but there wasn't any doubt in her mind that he was already a good friend.

"He's probably jealous at the idea of Natsu having another cute girl following him around," Cana joked as she reached for her second mug.

Gray shot her a dirty look, but otherwise didn't respond to her comment. "Look, I'm probably biased on this, since I'm the only one here that seems to find his face especially punchable. But honestly, the guy's completely reckless. He's the biggest reason why the Magic Council is always sending Gramps those angry letters, and that's _with_ Lisanna keeping him in line. One of these days, he's gonna screw up big, and I'm just saying, you probably won't wanna be around to get caught up in his mess."

Lucy would've liked to have pointedly informed Gray that she was able to look out for herself, but she could tell that, despite his stoic face, he was being genuine with his concern. And not just for her, but if she was reading between the lines correctly, for Natsu, as well. The two might've been bitter rivals, but as Lisanna had said before, they were also friends; brothers who rarely got along, but would have each other's backs in an instant if they needed it. Surely he would hate it if the Dragon Slayer got himself into serious trouble, if only because they wouldn't be able to fight about it later. It was touching, and Lucy found she could appreciate that about him.

"Anyway, I heard that you saved an entire town from a crazy, tyrannical, half-blind mayor?"

Somehow, Lucy just knew Happy was behind that particular rendition of her encounter with Everlue.

Cana began to correct him on the story, Lucy jumping in where she was fuzzy on the details, when Gray's eyes shifted to look behind the lovely ladies. They turned around to see Loke, the shades-wearing wizard giving them his most dazzling grin. "You know, I'm finding the real story is even better than the one going around," he said, leaning in close to the blonde. "I like the sound of a girl who can drive me crazy."

Lucy gave him an unimpressed smirk. "That's too bad," she said, her words coated with transparent charm. "You seem like such a nice guy, I'd hate to take what little sanity you must have left if that's what you'd want."

"Ouch," Loke clutched at his heart with a false wince, more of a wink than anything else, as the brunette laughed at Lucy's quip. "I guess Cana already got to you, then? Look, I can't help the fact that there are so many beautiful women in the world, and that the best of all seem to land here at Fairy Tail. I can only do my part in offering to make sure you're all treated like proper ladies. So what do you say, Lucy? At least give me a chance, please?"

"Just give it up," Cana said with a grin. "I know you love that hair of yours as much as you do girls, so you better watch out before Lucy summons her crab spirit to cut it all off."

"Crab spirit?" Loke's brow furrowed with familiarity. At that moment, Lucy held up a ring of jangling keys with her stamped hand, an eery smile on her face as she singled out one of the four golden artifacts. His eyes widened exponentially at the sight. "You're a... Celestial Wizard?" he choked out.

Lucy nodded smugly. "I'll tell you what: I'll let you take me out on a date, if you can get my spirits' approval. Sound like a fair deal?"

Perspiration dotted Loke's forehead as he took a few rigid steps back. "I have to... go, someplace, not here," he stammered unevenly before breaking into a run towards the front doors. He bolted outside hysterically, the guild hall pausing briefly at the sight before resuming its chatter.

"Why'd he get all weirded out?" Cana wondered, Lucy equally as perplexed. "I've never seen him lose his cool like that."

Gray shrugged. "He once told me the kinds of women he wouldn't date. It was a pretty short list, but for whatever reason Celestial Wizards made the cut. He must've known a total psycho if he's that freaked out by them."

Before the three could start up a casual conversation after Loke's departure, Natsu walked up to their table, Happy floating by his shoulder. "Hey Lucy, what'd you do to scare Loke so bad?" he inquired with a big grin. "His face was priceless!"

"Nothing. He just found out I was a Celestial Wizard."

"That's it?" Happy asked, he and his best friend looking disappointed by the simple answer.

"I guess Loke _does _have a line he won't cross," a feminine voice sounded to their sides. Mira and her siblings approached Gray's table, coming over from where they were usually gathered at the corner table. Mira took the spot next to Lucy to close her in between her and Cana, while the remainder of her team elected to stay on their feet. "Never would've guessed that it was something so obscure, though."

"There's only two girls in the guild that Loke won't make a move on," Cana began coyly as she and Mira scooted closer to a rapidly-reddening Lucy. A quick glance over at Lisanna insinuated she was one of them, the pair of boys beside her more than likely being the biggest reasons.

"Since he _is_ an admittedly handsome boy, do you feel lucky to be the third?" Mira continued suggestively as Lucy was practically smothered between them. "Or, maybe you feel a little let down instead?"

"Um... lucky?" she replied meekly. Cana and Mira exchanged cat-like grins, before sliding back on the bench to give her an appropriate amount of space as measured by the personal bubble philosophy.

She then became aware of the grins plastered on the faces of Natsu and Gray as they stared at one another across the table, the kind of smirks that she'd learned typically preceded blows in Fairy Tail.

"Have you ever worn a shirt past noon, Gray?" Natsu asked precariously.

"This coming from the guy who's never worn a shirt _at all_ under his vest?" Gray retorted.

Sparks flitted around Natsu's mouth as he spoke next. "If you wanna try to finish what you started the other day, I'm standin' right here."

Likewise, a chilling mist began to surround Gray as the boxer-clad boy rose from his seat. "You won't be standing for very long."

Elfman lead his younger sister back with a hand on her shoulder, giving the elemental wizards enough room to square off. Before either of them could pounce first, or Cana could remind Gray about his clothes, the guilds doors were thrown open by a returning Loke. Apparently, the somewhere else he had to be was just as frightening as Lucy's choice of magic, as he remained looking completely spooked.

"It's Erza!" he cried, his tinted glasses nearly slipping off his nose as he named the second Fairy Tail girl he wouldn't dare approach. "She's back!"

Immediately, the entirety of the guild's activities came to a halt. Everyone turned towards the doors as Loke ducked back inside, anxious gazes fixed in search of the imposing feminine figure on her way.

"Erza? The strongest woman in Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked about the fabled S-Class Wizard, looking around to see all the paled faces in the building. Mira was the only smile she could find, displaying a smirk not unlike the ones seen on Natsu and Gray moments before. Now, the boys were paralyzed along with the rest of their guildmates, probably what she thought was most surprising of all. How scary could Erza be if even the Dragon Slayer lost his nerve at her arrival?

"That's not as absolute as everyone might think," Mira whispered to Lucy, loud enough so only those surrounding her would hear. She angled her eyes as a spot in the distance grew into focus. It was a huge, horn-like item, seemingly carried one-handed by a lone person who gleamed in the sunlight. The hall was so quiet, Erza's footsteps grew audibly nearer as she approached. "But they're all so convinced of it, they all cower like misbehaved children whenever she comes back from a job."

Lucy wished to reply, but as Erza stepped into the building, she was able to make out her features. She was extremely attractive, rivaling Mira and Cana for the crown of most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. Her gorgeous red hair was just as eye-catching as the armor she wore over her torso and arms, the polished silver pieces that had made the guild squint as they reflected the sunlight.

Setting down the decorated horn that was easily twice her size, Erza scanned the still room. "Hello to you all," she said absently, greeting them as just a part of protocol. "Where is Master Makarov?"

"Erza," Mira nodded in reciprocation with her arms crossed, smirk intact. "The master's gone. He left earlier this morning for a Guild Master's meeting, and he won't be back for a few days."

The armored wizard hummed pensively. "I see."

Elfman cleared his throat, needing to keep his manly voice from cracking. "What's that thing you brought with you?" he asked. He thought he recognized what it was, but wasn't positive.

"It's the horn of the rhinocerox I defeated," she answered, confirming his suspicion. "The townspeople of the village it was terrorizing adorned it and allowed me to have it as a token of their gratitude."

Elfman nodded his head, feeling a pang of jealousy flash through him as he took in the bejeweled souvenir. That could've been his prize, if only...

Erza looked prepared to speak once again, but stopped herself as her eyes fell upon the pair of Macao and his best friend, Wakaba. The two pals had been drinking merrily and enjoying their usual conversation about the ladies in the guild, but Erza's return had crashed their party.

"Wakaba! How many times have I told you not to smoke inside the building?" she spoke, her authoritative voice straightening the man out from his incognito slump. He immediately put out the embers in his favorite pipe, the smoke wavering into nothingness as he followed orders. Erza then looked at Macao across from him, dread coloring his grimacing face. "And _you_, Macao... I heard what resulted with your Mt. Hakobe job. Even after I'd warned you about it, you decided to take your chances and go alone anyway. The next time you're looking for work, I suggest you pick a mission you can accomplish without having to involve a rescue team to go after you!"

Macao bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Erza. I won't be so reckless next time."

"I would hope not," she intoned strictly, before resuming what she was going to say before getting caught up with berating him and Wakaba. "Natsu. Gray."

"Hey, Erza," Gray said, forcing his lips to stretch out in a nervous smile. He and the pink-haired boy were standing side by side, arms around the other's shoulders, grinning together in a fashion Lucy was sure would convince no one as cheerful. "I'm just enjoying the company of my best bud in the whole world! Isn't that right, Natsu?"

"Aye!" Natsu chimed, stealing his real best friend's catchphrase.

Erza smiled, her face relaxing into a peaceful expression that was much more lovely on her than her stern gaze. "I'm very happy that the two of you were able to put aside your childhood differences and mature to be such good friends. It is for this reason that I need you both. Your chemistry together should prove an invaluable help to me."

The crowd gasped at the request, beginning to murmur about how Erza had never once asked for help. Lucy was also surprised, but it was more so from the fact that she bought the boys' act, and used it as her basis for coming to the two of them for aid. The most shocked of all, of course, were Natsu and Gray themselves.

"And what exactly is the mighty Erza facing now, that requires her to plead for help for the first time?" Mira asked smugly.

Erza glowered at her for a moment, until she gave in to answering the question only the model had dared ask. "While I was on the road, I overheard a conversation between what I thought were just normal wizards having a drink at the pub. It was only after I'd already left town that I placed the name one of them had mentioned: Erigor, the man they call The Reaper."

Mira grinned, again the only person in the guild to do so. "So those wizards must've been from the Dark Guild Eisenwald."

The red-haired woman nodded. "They were talking about needing to break the seal on a spell called Lullaby and taking it to Erigor. If someone who's made a name for himself by only taking assassination jobs like him has interest in it, then I imagine that it's a very powerful and dangerous magic. I wished to consult Master Makarov on the matter before taking action, but since he's away, I have no choice but to assemble a team with two of the strongest wizards here and go after Eisenwald."

"So you wanna take down a Dark Guild, huh?" Natsu asked, his eyes lighting up as he separated from Gray. "Sounds like fun."

"Except for the part about having to join up with _you_," Gray muttered so Erza wouldn't hear.

Before the ice mage could also vocalize his support, Mira brushed past him and walked up to Erza. She smirked as she looked her over from top to bottom, then bottom to top, one hand studiously under her chin as the other crossed her chest. "Hmmm..." she began as they finally made eye contact. "I think you better leave this job to me and _my_ team."

The guild let out another surprised gasp, hushed murmuring rising up once again. This time, the awe was lost on Lucy, as she was unclear with what the big deal was. "What's so strange with Mira offering to go in Erza's place?" she whispered to Cana.

"Mira rarely leaves the guild for stuff like this," she explained softly. "She's an S-Class Wizard like Erza, and she might be just as powerful, but she hardly ever goes on jobs that would demand the use of her Take Over Magic."

"How come?"

Cana was unable to respond, as Erza smiled confidently in the face of the request. "I appreciate your concern, Mirajane, but believe me, I'm fine -"

The white-haired woman cut her off, chuckling as she shook her head. "I figured you wouldn't admit to being exhausted. You just fought a rhinocerox - surely that was for an S-Class mission, right? - and dragged its horn back from whatever town you came from. You're in no condition to be going after an entire Dark Guild, Erza, even with back-up like Gray and Natsu," Mira assessed.

"I was planning on taking the night to rest and leaving tomorrow," Erza countered. Despite remaining of strong posture, Lucy found her appearing somewhat vulnerable for the first time since arriving.

"And by then, who knows what Erigor could've accomplished with that spell?" Mira continued to press. "My siblings and I could set out within the hour to stop him. Natsu will come with us, too, of course. Just tell us where you came across those Eisenwald wizards, and we'll take care of the rest."

"Are you sure that you're up for this yourself?" Erza asked, beginning to show signs of consideration for Mira's proposal. "This is a serious situation, so you should know there's no way you could avoid the battlefield if you go."

Mira had the slightest pause, taking in the meaning of Erza's comment before chuckling once more. "You know that's hardly a concern for someone like me."

Erza frowned tensely at Mira for several seconds, before she gave in with a sigh. "Those wizards were in Onibus," she conceded, self-disappointment evident on her face. "I have no idea whether or not they're still there, but it's also where I'd start looking for them."

Mira smiled as she looked behind her at Elfman, Lisanna, and Natsu, retaining some of her signature edge, but also seeming warmer than usual. "Looks like we're getting the band back together," she said nostalgically. "Don't worry, Erza. We'll make you proud."

**- 0 -**

After Erza finished giving Mira and the others the rest of the details she knew of, she took up the post of being in charge of the guild in Makarov's absence, the members quickly conforming to the more professional atmosphere she brought with her.

"Since we're pretty much in the dark over what Eisenwald's planning to do with Lullaby, it'd be smart to get some supplies in case we need to be gone for awhile," Mira instructed. Her siblings, Natsu and Happy surrounded her and nodded accordingly, as Lucy, Gray and Cana watched on from their table. The eldest of the Strauss family gazed over at them, and took a seat on the corner of the table, smirking as she playfully kicked her legs out. "Sorry to put you out like that, Gray, but you understand how things work with my team. No hard feelings?"

He grinned back, looking at Natsu as he replied to her. "It's all good. I should actually be thanking you, for sparing me from having to partner up with that walking disaster."

Natsu growled at him. "If anyone should be thanking her, it should be me! Ever heard of addition by subtraction? Keeping you off this mission basically means we've already won!"

"As if you _understand_ the concept of addition and subtraction!"

As the boys snarled at one another, Mira shifted towards the blonde. "You should go home and get a pack ready, too, Lucy. That is, if you wanna come with us."

It took a second for her to realize she was the one being addressed. "Me?" she asked, taken aback. "You want me to go along with you, to fight a Dark Guild?"

"You work well with Natsu and Lisanna. You're kinda like a lucky charm," Happy said, flying over to sit on Mira's lap. He made it seem as if his reasons were purely logical (if 'luck' could be considered logical), but after the talk they had earlier in the morning, she knew it was because he wanted her around.

"After what I've heard, I wanna see you in action," Mira smiled at her, in the manner that typically determined things go her way. "Don't worry, none of us will let any of those Eisenwald losers get near you. So, are you in?"

Lucy turned to Cana beside her, who gave her an encouraging nod as she sipped from her mug. "You know you want to."

Looking at the rest of Mira's team, they each backed Mira's invitation. Lisanna's sweet smile, Natsu's adventurous smirk, and even Elfman's permanent frown all extended a welcome to their task. With all that support, she felt it'd be impossible to decline.

Half an hour later, after the six had left the guild hall for their living spaces to collect their belongings, Lucy entered Magnolia Station, wheeling her small suitcase behind her. She figured to be the first person to arrive, since her apartment wasn't very far from the station, but was glad to spot one of her own already there, leaning against a terminal pillar with arms crossed.

"Hey, Elfman," she said in a friendly tone, speaking to the Strauss brother alone for the first time. She then noticed there was no bag slung on his shoulders, or resting at his feet. "Didn't you prepare anything for the trip?"

"I've already got everything I need," he replied gruffly, tightening his right hand into a fist.

"Alrighty," she said, looking down at the toes of her boots. She wasn't exactly sure what to say to the large, imposing man. It wasn't that she was intimidated beyond being able to speak to him, she just didn't know how to properly socialize with him. She pulled out a Silver Key from her ring, and summoned Plue into her arms. The white dog shivered uncontrollably as she hugged him and rested her chin on his head, thinking of how she could get some conversation going. "So, Cana said that Mira doesn't go out and take jobs like this very often. Why's that?"

Elfman stiffened even more. Even though he appeared to refuse looking at her, she could see his eyes turn cold. "It's not a story any of us like to tell."

"Oh." Lucy regretted her poor question immediately. Not that she had broken much ground with Elfman to begin with, but at least he seemed to give her the benefit of the doubt due to her fast friendship with his sister. Now, though, it looked like it would be that much harder to win the stern wizard over. She hoped it wouldn't affect their having to work together on this mission.

"But..." he suddenly intoned, snapping her from her thoughts as he turned his gaze on to her. "It's a story you'd hear eventually, and I'd rather you hear it from someone who won't sugarcoat the truth of what really happened." Lucy nodded, glad it hadn't been her that upset him, and prepared to hear him out in earnest. "It was two years ago, about a month after Mira was promoted to S-Class when she took me, Lisanna, Natsu and Happy out on an S-Class mission with her. I only wanted it to be just the three of us, but Mira insisted that they came along. To this day, I'm thankful she did, because who knows what might've happened if they hadn't been there..."

* * *

_So we're finally at the point where things are starting to get really different. Obviously, Mira taking over for Erza (no pun intended) and bringing her siblings with her, and Natsu and Lucy, to battle it out with Eisenwald being the foremost example. Next chapter, we'll see the original point of divergence between canon and my story, as you'll learn my version of what happened in the fight against The Beast._

_If you're reading this fic, whether from the start or just now picking it up, you should know you rule - even more so if you drop a review to tell me how I'm doing. Every bit of motivation helps! Thanks, and stay tuned!_


	6. Lullaby Arc - Part 2

_And now we continue our story, by going back! How did Lisanna avoid being sucked into Edolas during The Beast mission? We know Natsu and Happy were there, but were they really the difference-makers? Read on to find out!_

* * *

**Chapter 6  
- A Demon In My Safest Haven -**

_"Mira! The whole town's been evacuated!" Lisanna called from above as she glided towards them in one of her winged Take Overs. Her older sister had charged her with making sure the town beyond the quarry had been emptied out, as she and Natsu tried to restrain their enemy._

_The Beast, the twenty-foot-tall monster that had been the target of their mission, proved to be massively stronger than they had anticipated. Elfman had watched it roar in anger as it was struck by Mira's strongest attacks, only causing it to stagger momentarily. Natsu's flames were even less effective against The Beast's thick hide. As for himself, his magic wouldn't even let him get close to the behemoth. He felt 'useless' would've been too kind a description as he stood around as the others got batted into the dirt._

_Before Lisanna had returned, Mira's Take Over ended after absorbing a blow from The Beast. Her vast magic reserve had been completely depleted by the costly spell, and having to play defense against too many ferocious attacks. At that point, Elfman knew there was only one thing left he could try. As stupid and impossible as it was, it was all he could do to maybe save them all._

_When The Beast was distracted by a tiring Natsu's barrage of fireballs, Elfman made a mad dash towards the monster. He reached out with his right arm, and made contact with its leg as it bellowed in response to the flames. He shut his eyes and did his best to concentrate on Taking Over the mind of The Beast, but even mentally, he was no threat._

_Elfman's attempted Full-Body Take Over had failed miserably, and now it was his soul trapped inside The Beast's. It wasn't just the terrorizing creature anymore that they were fighting, it was their brother, as well. Mira didn't have any magic left; all she was doing was diverting its attention away from the others, and directing where they should attack from. Still, Natsu and Lisanna had no chance of winning if she wasn't battling along side them. She would've called for them all to retreat, but she couldn't leave her little brother._

_Happy pulled her away as she kept The Beast's onslaught trained on her. He zipped her around back and forth, as she would've done if she could still use her powers. With a bloodthirsty roar, it suddenly jumped towards them with more agility than it should've had at this point in the battle. They narrowly dodged its huge claw, but the gust behind the swipe knocked them to the earth. Mira heard Happy squeak in pain as she crashed on top of him. She rolled off his little frame, and picked up the barely-conscious cat as she crawled away._

_"Are you guys okay?" Natsu shouted after another fire attack, with little results._

_"We're fine!" she answered, before following up with a great "Look out!"_

_"Natsu!" Lisanna screamed as The Beast took advantage of his momentary slip in focus. It slashed at the boy, who avoided being shredded by mere inches. Regardless, the impact of its claw striking the ground sent him flying back, to hit the face of the cliff with a sick thud._

_Natsu's crumpled form groaned as he tried to pick himself up, but the fight had taken its toll on him. If only he had an external source of fire to consume, he could get back on his feet and keep going. With Mira out of power, and Lisanna incapable of such support, he could only grit his teeth and tremble on his knees and forearms as The Beast approached him, making a sinister sound. Almost like laughter._

_Ending her Take Over, Lisanna ran in between him and The Beast, her arms out to shield Natsu from its warpath. She stood her ground, even as it shook beneath her with every step the demon-like being took towards them._

_"Lisanna! What're you doing?!" Mira demanded as she cradled a stirring Happy in her arms. They were hundreds of feet away, too far to pull her from the danger._

_"Get away from him!" Natsu warned, just as desperately as Mira._

_"Big Brother Elf!" Lisanna cried up at the monster before her. "Please, you have to win against The Beast's mind! It's me, your little sister! And Mira, and Natsu and Happy are here, too! I know you've lost control, but I know you're still in there somewhere!"_

_The Beast stopped in its tracks, eyeing her as she pleaded with it. A tiny voice in the back of its head was trying to respond, but it was so distant, it might as well have been muted completely._

_"I know it's hard, but you can do it! We all believe in you! We all love you, and we can't go home without you!" Lisanna continued to reason. She tried to sound as strong as possible to get through to Elfman, but she couldn't keep her voice from wavering at the whole situation. "Big Brother Elf!"_

_The Beast studied her for another second, as if processing what she'd said. It let loose its biggest roar of the night, and lifted its colossal claw._

_"Lisanna! No!"_

_Gathering all of his remaining energy, Natsu erupted from where he kneeled. Using flames beneath his feet to propel himself faster, he made it just in time to shove Lisanna out of the The Beast's strike zone. He wasn't fast enough to make it out himself._

_The Beast's sweeping blow managed to catch him with its outermost digit, the force sending him airborne once again. He hadn't been able to brace himself against an attack, leaving him open to all the damage it could've inflicted. Natsu soared for the slowest seconds of Lisanna's life, before landing unceremoniously on the rocky ground. He bounced once, then his body lay prone, face-down._

_"Natsu!" Lisanna screamed in horror once more, hurrying over to him. She didn't care that she was giving her back to The Beast, making herself easy prey if it so chose to hammer at her as well. She needed to be at the Dragon Slayer's side._

_"Natsu...?" Happy breathed, his unswollen eye widening at the sight in disbelief. When he finally realized exactly what he'd witnessed, he began to squirm, trying to wrestle his way out of Mira's hold. "Let me go! I have to help Natsu!"_

_Mirajane didn't know anymore. She didn't know what to do. The all-too-familiar sense of hopelessness enveloped her, rendering her unable to move or think forward. She had been so proud of becoming an S-Class Wizard, that she was once again on an even playing field with Erza, but she had been arrogant to a fault, thinking she could take the most perilous job available to her. Now, because of her, her brother's mind was lost to The Beast's rage, and poor Natsu..._

_As The Beast advanced to where Lisanna cried for Natsu to stay with her, Mira tried calling out to her. Her voice failed, just like her cursed powers had failed, and how she'd failed her family and friends._

_Suddenly, a huge magic circle appeared beneath The Beast, its bright golden light keeping it from moving beyond its perimeter. It growled with quaking ferocity, but all of its clawing against the barrier was for naught._

_"Mirajane," a voice called from behind her. She turned around, and gasped at the person that was walking up to her. "You have to get Natsu to safety. If he has any time left, it isn't much. Take him and the others away. I'll deal with things here."_

_"...Mystogan?" she whispered. Happy stopped struggling at the name, as the enigmatic wizard who kept his face shrouded by a pair of bandanas made his way beside her, pointing one of his five wooden staves at The Beast. He was the one casting the magic that imprisoned its mobility. She had only recently learned of the man's identity, as he never shown himself to anyone in the guild but the master and the S-Class mages. "What're you doing here?"_

_"I was in the area," he answered cryptically. "Now, like I said, round up the others and get Natsu to help. You have to act quickly. I'll take care of that monster."_

_"That's my brother. That's Elfman," she explained in a low voice. "Please, don't hurt him."_

_Mystogan stared at her, absorbing the information. While he never associated with his guildmates, he knew of them in great detail. He was aware of how brash and unrepentant Mirajane was, so it was surreal to see her so frightened. "I'll do what I can," he said ambiguously as he marched forward._

_The white-haired girl, with Happy still in her arms, ran off for Natsu's body. Lisanna had rolled him onto his back, and clutched his hand in hers as she cried over him. Mira feared the worst in that instant, but was relieved to see his chest rise just a fraction. Happy pulled out a roll of gauze from his pack and tossed it to her, before grabbing Natsu by the scruff of his vest and flying him away._

_With his tiny body throbbing in pain, and the dead weight of his best friend's unconscious form, it was the most difficult flight Happy had ever undertaken. There wasn't even an slight breeze to help him along, but he pushed through the burning in his bones and wings, flying to where Lisanna had directed the townspeople earlier. There was sure to be a doctor among them, someone who could do more for Natsu than him or the sisters._

_Meanwhile, Mystogan released the spell on The Beast, and it immediately swiped at him in response. The physical attack harmlessly passed through his Mist Body, as he evaporated and reappeared in the air above his enemy. With a quick series of hand motions, the five staves on his back shot into the ground to encircle The Beast. They created an even more brilliant light, and it howled, not in anger or triumph, but in confusion._

_Mystogan hoped that the illusions he cast into The Beast's mind helped Elfman regain control. The Beast had only ever known being the top link in the food chain, a predator that had never feared for its life. If he understood Take Over Magic correctly, Elfman could take advantage of The Beast losing its mental grasp as it envisioned being thrust into space, and being swallowed by an even bigger, hungrier fiend. Its whole idea of the world would collapse in on itself._

_When it was dead in its own head, Mystogan ended the nightmares. He let The Beast stand limply for several seconds, waiting to see if his comrade would break free. No changes occurred, which meant that more effort was needed to reawaken Elfman._

_The staves surrounding The Beast began to spark with magic, creating another circle underneath it. A second circle appeared around its knees, and a third around its abdomen. A fourth floated at neck level, while the fifth cleared its horned head. A thin purple light then began to shine through all five circles, even through The Beast's body._

_"Sacred Song." The words, echoing through the still night, activated the tiny light. It exploded into a great beam, a pillar of Mystogan's ultimate power._

_After the attack, the titan sank to its knees before crashing face-first into the ground. Mystogan slowly walked up to the fixed mass, thinking he'd might've gone overboard. He was able to exhale calmly as the form before him started to glow, then shrunk rapidly to the muscular young man he had seen at the guild. If that heart had stopped beating, then the Take Over wouldn't have been reversed. Elfman would still need medical attention, but at least he was back to being himself._

_Mystogan looked out at the desolate town. He had closed the anima threatening to appear, and freed Elfman from The Beast. He wasn't too concerned about Natsu, either, as the boy had a warrior's spirit and will, and Happy and Lisanna would do everything they could to save him. It hadn't been an easy night for any of them, but all in all, it appeared that the worst was behind them._

**- 0 -**

Lucy hadn't realized how she was suffocating Plue as Elfman recounted the story. She relaxed her tensed arms, allowing the squeaking spirit to gratefully fill his lungs with oxygen. She rubbed his head in comfort, then turned up to Elfman, who had avoided eye contact for most of the tale.

"Wow," was all she could say as she sorted out her thoughts.

Elfman grunted in response. "My sisters will try to feed you a version where I was just another victim, but I knew what I was risking when I tried Taking Over The Beast. No one would've been a near-casualty if it hadn't been for my idiocy. Whether they won't admit it or they really don't see it is irrelevant; a real man will own up to his actions, and that's why I told you. Just don't make it obvious to them that you already know all that."

Lucy nodded. He didn't want her to fear him, or pity him, and she did neither. He just wanted her to understand, and that she did.

She now understood just how deep the relationship between Natsu and Lisanna ran, as both were willing to sacrifice themselves for the other's sake without hesitation. She understood why Elfman didn't seem opposed to the Dragon Slayer being so close to his little sister, when he would pummel any other boy if they dared approach her, as he knew how much they cared for each other after what he'd inadvertently put them through that night.

And she understood why Mirajane, once a proud and infamous S-Class Wizard, favored modeling work to avoid using her Take Over Magic. It had let her down in the most crucial moment of her life, and it would've cost her dearly if it hadn't been for Mystogan's timely intervention. The way she suppressed the beautiful, gentle smile Lucy had glimpsed indicated she shouldered the burden for that event two years ago, as well.

"Big Brother Elf! Lucy!" Lisanna called as she and Mira walked into the station. The two carried with them packs, with Mira's looking far more stuffed than her youngest sibling's. "Natsu and Happy haven't made it yet?" she asked as they reached the terminal.

"Not yet," Lucy replied as she let her take Plue for a moment. "How far away do they live from here?"

"They're closer to the station than we are at Fairy Hills," Mira answered, grinning. "Natsu's probably just stalling until the last second. Just being around all these vehicles can get to him, so he'll want to spend as little time as possible surrounded by them before having to board our train."

When it was announced over the intercom that the Onibus Train would be departing in five minutes, Mira lead them inside, picking out their spots in the third cart, near the back. As the whistle began to blow in preparation, a queasy Natsu dropped into the seats across the walkway, Happy cheerfully settling in Lisanna's lap to interact with Plue on Lucy's.

"Glad you made it," Mira commented as the train's machinations began to put it in motion.

"Can't say the same," he muttered through bloated cheeks.

"It's just a short trip," Happy reminded him, Plue nodding along. "We'll get there in no time. Then, we'll have a whole Dark Guild to beat up on!"

Natsu looked comforted, if only slightly, by the vision of standing against waves of enemies rushing at him. Lucy, on the other hand, was reminded that there were only six Fairy Tail wizards to oppose them, and wondered what she had gotten herself into.

"So Mira," she began to distract from herself from thought, as their train exited Magnolia's boundaries, bulleting into the vast green fields, "just how many S-Class Wizards does Fairy Tail have? There's you and Erza..."

Mira smiled as she held up an open hand. "There's five of us total. Me, Erza, Laxus, Mystogan, and the old guy."

The name 'Laxus' rang familiar to Lucy. More than likely, she'd read about him in Sorcerer Weekly, but she couldn't recall anything other than that he was very powerful. Mystogan was the one Lucy had been fishing for, however. If he had been able to single-handedly defeat The Beast when the team around her combined to fail, he was sure to be one of the strongest mages in the guild.

"Laxus is Master Makarov's grandson," Elfman explained. "With his pedigree, there was no doubt he would grow up to be a man worthy of S-Class rank."

"As for Mystogan," Mira said, her eyes discreetly softening as she spoke his name, "the Master didn't think anyone gave a true S-Class performance at this year's trials a few months back, so being last year's winner, Mystogan is the latest wizard to earn that title."

Lucy remembered the article in her favorite magazine, stating that no one had achieved S-Class in Fairy Tail this year. "Does that happen a lot? No one getting promoted, I mean."

"It's not as uncommon as you might think," Lisanna replied. "It's a really difficult test, so it won't always narrow down to the last person. Even if it does, the Master still has the final say, and he might not approve you as S-Class, like what happened this year. He looks for more than just pure strength in those that he'll elevate to be known as the best of the best."

"Otherwise, there are a bunch of other wizards in the guild that could be called S-Class on magical power alone," Happy continued, "like Macao, who was a contender in his prime, and Cana, who lost in the final round this year against one of Laxus's buddies, Freed. He was the one that didn't get promoted."

"On account of not being a real man," Elfman supplied, frowning as he stared out the window.

"And 'the old guy'...?" Lucy inquired.

"Gildarts..." Natsu joined the conversation. He had taken up both seats to lay on his side, his head on the outermost end. Despite his motion sickness, he actually sounded excited at having brought the name up. "He's the strongest of all..."

"I've never heard of him," Lucy said, putting a finger to her chin. Why wasn't the most powerful mage of the most renowned guild in the land a complete superstar to the press?

"Gildarts has only shown up at the guild a few times since we joined," Lisanna answered with a reminiscent smile, seemingly just as fond of the man as Natsu. "He likes to take the extremely dangerous SS-Class jobs, which are deemed nearly impossible because they've been posted for years, and some would _take_ years to realistically finish. Thanks to that, he's sort of developed a routine where he'll be away on a quest for a long time, come back and enjoy himself for a few days, and then leave again."

"That's incredible," Lucy said in awe of Gildarts' legacy. She couldn't even imagine how powerful someone like that could be.

As they approached Onibus, the team began to discuss how they were going to go about stopping Eisenwald. Erza had told them that one of men she'd encountered at the local bar, Kageyama if she'd heard right, would be returning Lullaby to Erigor in three days' time. That left them just that day to uncover what their goal was, and put an end to their scheme.

The first step of the plan they had devised on the train would see Natsu and Elfman enter the bar the Eisenwald mages had been hanging out at. "When a guild has its legality revoked by the Magic Council, they order the halls to be vacated," Mira had explained. "That generally doesn't stop its members from using it as a base of operations, but no vendor would be caught dead selling to them. That means they have to come to pubs like this to get their fill of alcohol, and since this one is so popular with traveling wizards, it'd be pretty easy for nondescript Dark Guild wizards to blend in. We're sure to run into someone here who'd be of use to us."

The boys went in after Natsu got over his illness, while Happy and the girls waited across the street, watching for a signal as they played the roles of shoppers checking the outside vendors. Not two minutes after walking in through the doors, they followed a group of three men right out, as discreetly as Fairy Tail members could manage.

"How could they not have my favorite drink?!" Elfman bellowed as an excuse for their immediate departure, raising his fists over his head.

"Those jerks!" Natsu yelled with him, spouting flames from his mouth. The trio of men they were tailing briefly turned around to acknowledge the loud, overdramatic pair, but otherwise went about their own business.

The boys crossed the street and rejoined the others, keeping an eye on their targets as they walked down the block. "One of those guys mentioned Lullaby and got elbowed to keep his mouth shut," Elfman reported. "They have to be from Eisenwald."

"They should heading back to their guild hall, right?" Lucy asked. Mira had said that assassination guilds, before having been outlawed, kept the locations of their halls a secret from the public. Only members and the Magic Council were privy to that information, so anyone with a killing request had to float it along at seedy taverns before being contacted by the guild. "If we follow them, they might lead us straight there."

"I'm on it," Lisanna said with a smile. Lucy noticed the others forming a tight circle around her to shield her from view, and stepped in to cover her side as she activated her Cat Take Over. Unlike the anthropomorphic form of Happy, Lisanna became a normal blue-furred cat with black stripes. She slipped through the gap in Lucy's legs, and ran to the corner the men had turned before slowing into the casual slink of a stray.

"So am I allowed to talk about Kage _now_, Rayule?" the tallest of the bunch, with dark hair and whiskers on his face, asked irritably as Lisanna caught up to them, staying one step behind and to the left of the group.

"As long as you don't go tellin' the whole world like those two idiots back there, you can say whatever you want, Byard," Rayule, a man wearing a yellow and black hood answered, just as peeved.

"You know as well as I do that Kage's finished unsealing Lullaby by now," Byard complained in a low voice, taking the hint. "I don't care how forbidden that magic's supposed to be, it doesn't take three days for a dispeller of Kage's skill to get it done. He's just using that as an excuse to take some time to slack off in a nice city."

"Well, we _are_ gonna be pretty busy once we get the plan underway," the third man, short and ball-shaped, said nervously with a shrug. "It'd be nice to relax for a little bit before we start killing people with that freaky flute."

"Karacka! Shut it!" Rayule said, turning to glare at his partner, who wilted even more. He sighed at his fellow guild members' tendency to say inappropriate things aloud before replying. "It doesn't matter what Kageyama's doing down in Magnolia. As long as he returns Lullaby with its seal broken tomorrow like he promised, Erigor can proceed as planned. We'll stage the assault on the train station, leaving him free and clear to get to Clover undetected. After that, we'll have turned the entire magical world on its head."

Lisanna purred in intrigue at what he meant, but she wasn't allowed to stay with the trio any longer, as the wizard named Byard took notice of her. "I hate cats! Get outta here!" he snarled, kicking at the feline.

She sprang back to avoid his boot, countering with her claws to leave three bloody marks on his shin. He cried out in pain as she hissed angrily in response, then darted away to return to her friends. She found them hidden in an alley, anticipating to hear what she'd learned from them.

"They're gonna attack the train station tomorrow," she said before resuming her human form. "The way the guy said it, he made it sound like it could be a diversion for Erigor, because he's supposed to be heading for Clover."

"Clover?" Mira repeated, frowning. "That's where the Guild Masters hold their meetings."

"And Gramps and the others are in one right now," Natsu growled.

"You don't think... _they're_ the targets?" Lucy asked with unease.

"If they wanted to make a statement, going after the Guild Masters is sure to get attention," Elfman surmised.

"One of them let slip that Lullaby was a killing flute," Lisanna added gravely. "Magic like that, it makes sense an assassination guild would want it."

"I'm gonna keep an eye on them," Happy said, sprouting his wings. "We can't let these guys get away. I'll follow them and let you know where it is they're going. Maybe their guild's somewhere outside of town."

"Go for it, little buddy," Natsu commended with a smirk and a thumbs-up. "We're not gonna let these punks get to tomorrow, 'cause we're stopping 'em today."

**- 0 -**

As it turned out, the Eisenwald wizards were heading towards the train station. Happy at first was afraid of what they might be doing, but it seemed that they were simply waiting to board a train. He flew back to the team with the news, who quickly set out to make that same ride. Natsu lost some of the fire in his belly as they barely managed to climb into the last cart in the line before departing.

"Lullaby... a killing flute..." Lucy had been mulling the information over since Lisanna mentioned it. "I read a book once where the antagonist who was trying to take over the world, had a wooden flute as his weapon, with a three-eyed skull for a head that put anyone that heard its song into an eternal sleep. It was supposed to have been carved by the Black Wizard Zeref, but I thought the writer was just using that for flair. It might be a lot truer than anyone would've thought, though."

"That must be what they're up to, then," Mira said, her eyes low. "Erigor will take Lullaby to the Guild Masters and kill them all, without them ever having suspected a thing. Doing so would send the whole kingdom into total chaos."

"Your book had a happy ending, right, Lucy?" Happy asked from her lap. Since Lisanna, incognito with Transformation Magic, had moved up to the same cart as the Eisenwald members to keep tabs on them, he decided to share a seat with her.

"Well, yeah. Bad guys don't usually win in books," she replied. "If we stop Erigor now, do you think this Kageyama guy will try to finish the job on his own? We're taking a risk here in leaving him out there in possession of Lullaby."

"Erigor is the ace of Eisenwald," Mira answered. "Keeping Lullaby out of his hands is our biggest concern. If Kageyama is down in Magnolia, he wouldn't know that we trashed his guild unless someone with a powerful sort of communications magic gave him a heads-up. Once we're in Oshibana, I'll get us a lacrima and fill Erza in with the details. She'll make sure that we won't have to worry about him."

A few minutes later, the train made a stop at the supplies port of Kunugi Station. When Lisanna didn't reappear to let them know they'd arrived at their destination, they stayed put. It wasn't until the next stop at Oshibana that the disguised mage poked her head into their cart. "They're on the move," she informed them, sporting strawberry locks that extended down the middle of her back, wearing a schoolgirl uniform of a yellow vest and red plaid skirt.

"You've gotten really good at Transformation Magic," Elfman commended. He was envious of his little sister's natural talent, yes, but he was also proud of how much she'd grown since their ill-fated S-Class quest. Training with Mira on how to morph more than just animals, and raising her strength alongside Natsu, had done wonders for her. Seeing how hard she'd worked had broken him from his slump after that night, and inspired him to become a man they could be proud of, too.

Allowing a modest distance to avoid suspicion, the Fairy Tail wizards kept them in their sights until they crossed into a residential district. Without a crowd to mingle in, the team once again had to rely on Happy to document their tracks from the sky. This gave Mira the opportunity to purchase a communications lacrima to speak with Erza back at the guild, taking it back to the central square.

"Kageyama... I'll find him," the armored woman said dutifully. "I'll search the entire city if I have to, but he won't be escaping Magnolia with that cursed flute."

Natsu nodded as he edged Mira out of the picture on her end of the orb. "Be careful, Erza. We don't know exactly how Lullaby works, but you better not give him the chance to play a single note, got it? I still need that rematch, remember?"

The serious expression on Erza's face softened, contrary to the ones on Lisanna' and Elfman's, which grew even terser. "Even if I am a little worn out, I believe I can handle this one wizard. If you defeat Eisenwald, then I'll give you that rematch, rest assured."

"Natsu wants to fight Erza?!" Lucy asked, stupefied. Had the boy lost his mind? Earlier he had displayed the good sense to be fearful of Erza's power, but now he was challenging her?

"Only a real man would have the guts to face off against the strongest woman in Fairy Tail," Elfman said, crossing his arms in approval.

"Or a real idiot," Lisanna sighed, but smiled regardless.

Lucy listened to Natsu hype himself up about how it was his time to beat Erza after having his butt kicked for years, while Mira recorded a letter to send to the Guild Masters in Clover. It had been close to half an hour since Happy's departure, and Lucy could see in Lisanna's eyes that she was beginning to worry about the flying cat. Her concern began to grow as well, but the Dragon Slayer appeared to have no shortage of confidence in his best friend, remaining wired about their upcoming confrontation.

"You guys!" a squeaky voice called from above. Happy eased into a hover before his wings disappeared, dropping onto Natsu's hair. "I know where Eisenwald's guild hall is!"

The team lauded his efforts, and had him point the way there. He explained that wizards had traveled outside of Oshibana Town, entering the neighboring woods. Unlike the verdant forest by Magnolia, the trees he lead them through were decayed and gaunt, their leafless branches eerily reaching out to spread their misery. Even the sky seemed to lose its luster, as Lucy didn't remember it being so heavily clouded before they'd started their march.

"You're sure this is the right way?" she asked, a little more than creeped out at her surroundings. She could swear something had been peeking out at her through a shadowy hole in a tree.

"Of course," Happy replied happily. "A cat's sense of direction is never wrong."

Lucy didn't put full faith in that statement, but on this occasion, Happy couldn't be proved wrong. They walked for a little over fifteen minutes before they reached a worn path leading to a gray brick building, which he confirmed as the Eisenwald guild hall. With a jubilant war cry, Natsu began a charge for the rest of the way, but didn't make it three steps in front of him. Lisanna had snatched at the boy's scale-patterned scarf, easily holding him in place with one hand as he struggled against her grip.

"Now, now, Natsu," she said sweetly. "I think it'd be best if we all went in together as a team. Does that sound okay to you?"

Natsu ceased fighting and turned to face her, as she let go of his scarf. Mira was giving him the infamous smirk that had made blood run cold before her modeling days, and Elfman made him the subject of the stony gaze that petrified those that stood against him. However, he noticed neither of the older Strauss siblings, as he was wholly absorbed in Lisanna's smile. It was all the incentive he needed.

"Yeah, alright," he conceded.

Lisanna looked to her family and Happy with a grin, who nodded in agreement. The four turned to Lucy, as the white-haired girls winked at her to play along. They all began to rush forward past Natsu, who was quick on the uptake. It wasn't long before he made it to the head of the pack, directing them straight to Eisenwald's doors.

**- 0 -**

"In less than twenty-four hours, this kingdom will come to understand," the tattooed man at the center of the room declared to the crowd amassing around him. His silver hair swayed as he turned about, so all could see his proud smirk. He lifted the scythe in his right arm, and swung it down to almost cleave one of his own men. "We will make this kingdom understand loss!"

"That's right, Erigor!" the guild of thirty or so men hollered in admiration.

"We had our livelihoods stripped away from us! We were branded outlaws because of the way we'd chosen to support ourselves! We were barred from walking down streets as free men, and so now, we will litter those same streets with the ignorant that made it happen!" Erigor continued. "The Guild Masters that opposed our work will drop like flies when they hear Lullaby's grim melody!"

He paused to let the crowd cheer, raucously throwing up their arms.

"Following them will be the people who thought they no longer had to fear assassination guilds! They were so relieved for themselves, that they forgot what it meant for us! The same rights they enjoy and celebrate exclude us, making us unequal in the eyes of the world!" Erigor growled furiously, before cracking a grin. "But those people will be the cobblestones on the trail we pave, as we play our way to the Magic Council! The nine who unanimously decreed us as scum will be the last to understand! Their hubris won't allow them to fathom our message, until we are before their very eyes! Then, and only then, will they finally realize, as those same eyes that looked down on us slowly close for the very last time, that no corpse stands taller than the rest!"

The Eisenwald members' ovation continued, loving the picture Erigor had painted in their minds. At that moment, they began to feel invincible, and the time of action was still a day away.

When the noise began to die down, a slow clap was made audible. The men quieted even faster, locating the source of the clapping at the front of the hall. A group of five, three females and two males, along with a blue cat, stood at the entrance. The woman in the middle was the one with the mocking show of support, her face displaying amusement at what the group had overheard.

"So that's your big plan?" she said condescendingly, beginning to walk forward. The others began to move up as well, but kept her at the forefront. "It's rather simple, don't you think? Well, there's a chance it might've worked if Lullaby's as powerful as you believe it is, but I guess you'll never know."

"And just who do you think are, entering the hall of Eisenwald?" Erigor asked as his circle parted, allowing him to get closer and see the intruders face to face.

Mira snickered, angling her body to display the white guild mark on the side of her left thigh. "The ones that're gonna stop you, obviously. Your guildmates really should be a little more careful about what they say; you never know who might be listening in."

Erigor leered at the symbol, then began to cackle, filling the grand room with a slight echo of hostility. "Five flies from Fairy Tail," he spat, slamming the butt of his scythe into the floor. "Tell me, do you really expect that such a pitiful number would be able to storm into my guild and take us down?"

Now it was Natsu that stepped ahead of Mirajane. "If you've heard of our guild, then you've probably heard of the damage we can cause on accident," he said, his smirk becoming almost too big for his face. "Now what do you think we're capable of when we actually put our minds to it?"

The whiskered Eisenwald mage shrugged through the crowd and stood beside his leader. "Don't you know exactly what we specialize in?" Byard demanded.

Another of Erigor's cronies walked up, wriggling his black-banded fingers. "We _kill_ for a living. Five of you against thirty of us? You just walked into a slaughterhouse," Rayule grinned smugly.

Elfman threw off his jacket, leaving his muscular arms bare in a sleeveless shirt. "A real man likes those numbers," his deep voice boomed as he balled his right hand. "The more there are of you, the more bones there are for me to break."

Erigor laughed once again, his body suddenly lifting weightlessly into the air. Suspended in place, he crisscrossed his legs as if sitting, laying his scythe across his lap as he sneered down at the team.

"How's he doing that?" Lucy asked, jarred by the magic. She had never seen anyone completely resist gravity like that, without any sort of apparent assistance.

"Wind Magic," Happy answered. It was barely noticeable, but he could feel a breeze tickling through his fur. That, and he'd also overheard the wizards he'd tracked speak of the man's powers. "He's manipulating the air around him to fly."

"You all sound pretty bloodthirsty for a bunch of legal-guild fairies," The Reaper observed. "If you're so inclined, then try to fight us and die!"

His body vanished as wind swept over him, leaving only his guildmates to ominously encroach on the Fairy Tail wizards' position. Lucy instinctively sent a hand down to her key ring, wondering if they really would make it out of this situation. Even with her as the weakest link, they were still a very powerful assembly, but this was an entire faction of assassins they were facing.

"Elfman, Natsu, Lisanna," Mira instructed, "I want you to go after Erigor. Find wherever he's decided to hide and take him out. Lucy and I, we're enough to handle the rest here."

"What?!" the blonde cried out. The rest of her friends didn't seem to calculate the unfavorable odds Mira had just set for them, as they nodded accordingly.

"You got it," Natsu smiled, revving his engines (figuratively; he couldn't afford to get motion-sick right now).

The two Eisenwald members that had spoken up with Erigor suddenly made it to the second floor before Natsu and the others could begin their search. Byard used twin light beams from his fists striking the ground to launch himself up, while the bands around Rayule's fingers snapped to the rafters like vines to swing him to the railing.

"It wouldn't be very fun if you were beaten before I could get my shots in," Byard said. "If any of you wanna go at it one-on-one, why don't you follow me?"

"I'll invite you to the same," Rayule smirked, retracting his bands. "It's been a long time since I've gotten the chance to take out a wizard from a legal guild."

"You guys can have these two," Natsu addressed Lisanna and Elfman, embers flickering around his mouth. "I want Erigor."

Lisanna's lips curved into a smirk, resembling the one her sister often gave. She recalled how Byard had tried to punt her when she was walking alongside them as a cat. "Sounds good to me," she said, her selection clear as she began to walk up the left staircase where the whiskered man disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway.

Elfman cracked his knuckles, his frow burrowed as he ascended the right stairway. "I've never gotten the chance to take out a wizard from a Dark Guild," he said, locking gazes with Rayule as he too entered a separate chamber. "Only a real man gets to make the most of this opportunity. Which one of us is it gonna be?"

Happy activated his Aera Magic, and grabbed Natsu by the scruff of his vest. They took off over the heads of the Eisenwald members, past the second floor, and shattered the circular window at the top of the far wall at Natsu's direction. He must've said something once outside, because an agreeable "Aye!" was heard all the way back inside.

Now Lucy was left with Mira, staring into a sea of hungry, violent eyes as the tide flowed in. She wanted to shrink back in nervousness, but was given a pure, supportive smile from the woman beside her. The idol, live off the pages of her favorite magazine, instilled in her courage, and Lucy knew she couldn't disappoint. There was many lives depending on their victory, including Master Makarov's and their own. It was time to go all in.

* * *

_So I hope you guys enjoyed my rendition of The Beast fight. If you were expecting Mystogan as the Big Damn Heroes, I'll give you begrudging props for figuring it out. Bonus points if you got Lisanna's Transformation Magic shout-out. In any case, we've set the card up, so look forward to the Fairy Tail vs. Eisenwald clash next chapter. If action scenes are your thing, join us next time for nothing but hard-hitting battles!_

_Thanks for reading, guys, and reviewing as well if you're so inclined._


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